It Follows
by Zeplerfer
Summary: After meeting his soulmate in bad circumstances, Arthur is determined to help the young man escape a persistent stalker. In this efforts, however, he discovers that the soulmate watches have a dark side and that not every love story ends happily. USUKUS. Major character death. Based on the movie. Cover art by Evenica.
1. It Begins

**WARNINGS: Major character death. Sad ending. This is not my usual fluff!**

* * *

The mangled corpse lay on the beach, his violet eyes staring unblinkingly up at the night sky. A scarf blew gently in the wind, fluttering across the sand until it landed in the water.

This was a crime that even Sherlock Holmes could never solve. As hours passed, the tide came and went, sweeping away the scarf. There were no footprints, no fingerprints, no DNA, nothing to explain how the man's neck was broken and his arm ripped from his body. Whatever it was, it must have been terrible and strong. The dead man's mouth lay open in a silent scream, unable to tell anyone what had killed him.

But one young man knew. And he was driving away as quickly as he could.

...

..

.

* * *

 _Four months later and a thousand miles away_

* * *

"No! This can't be happening," were not the first words anyone wanted to hear come out of their soulmate's mouth. Especially if it was accompanied by a look of utter shock and horror.

Yet there Arthur was, standing next to the coffee shop where he worked, his soulmate watch on the ground and his actual soulmate looking ready to vomit in terror. The young man took two hasty steps backward. He looked… _unkempt_ was probably the kindest word Arthur could think of. His clothes were dirty, his hair was greasy, he needed a good shave, and it smelled like he hadn't showered in days. Arthur had always been a pessimist about romance, but even he had hoped for a soulmate who was a little more attractive than this dirty hobo.

"I beg your pardon?" he demanded tartly.

His soulmate blinked and the look of fear began to subside. "Oh, you're actually… you're actually… him." The man laughed nervously. He glanced down at the fallen watches and bent to pick them up. Watches in hand, he stood up and looked around in all directions, relaxing only when he saw that the street was still empty.

Arthur frowned. "Were you expecting someone else?"

"No, I just…" the man young shook his head and glanced over his shoulder again. He gave Arthur a half-hearted smile, revealing a set of surprisingly straight white teeth. "Just really need a cup of coffee, I guess."

"Well, you've come to the right place," Arthur replied dryly. He opened the door, grabbed his apron from the hook on the wall as he walked behind the counter, and ignored his coworker's look of concern.

The man immediately surveyed his surroundings, relaxing again when he saw that the shop was empty other than a student studying by the window. He finally turned his attention to the menu written in chalk above the counter. His eyes quickly skimmed the options. "Oooh, could I have a large hazelnut mochaccino with extra cream?"

"Of course." With a speed born of long practice, Arthur made the hot drink, mixing together the frothy milk, chocolate syrup, and two shots of expresso. To his surprise, his soulmate actually handed over a twenty to pay for his sugary coffee. Arthur handed it back. "We get three free drinks per day. It can be one of mine," he offered. If the watches were right, their destinies were tied together. Not to mention the poor lad looked like he could use all the financial help he could get.

"Really? Thanks!" The man flashed his attractive smile again. Well, if he was stuck with a hobo for a soulmate, Arthur thought to himself, at least he had one with manners and nice teeth.

"Who _is_ that?" his coworker whispered as the man sat with his back to the far wall, giving him an excellent view of the entrance and the door that led into the kitchen. He sipped his drink and kept a careful gaze on both doors.

Arthur held up his bare wrist in silent reply.

"Oh, no." His coworker stared in shock and horror. She glanced at the young man sipping his coffee and grimaced. "Maybe… maybe he cleans up nicely?"

"One can only hope," Arthur replied, making himself a cup of tea. He considered just staying behind the counter and working his shift as normal. But he would have to talk to his soulmate eventually, and it was probably best to have a quiet chat with him before the lunchtime rush. Taking over his cup of tea, he warily joined his soulmate at the far table. "I just realized that we haven't even done introductions yet," Arthur said, too polite to add that it would be helpful to know the man's name so he could stop referring to him as 'that dirty hobo' in his head.

The dirty hobo blinked. "Oh, yeah. Good point! I'm Alfred F. Jones."

"Arthur Kirkland. Pleased to meet you."

Alfred snorted and took a sip of his mochaccino. "Dude, somehow I doubt that. I'm not really the greatest catch at the moment," he said, gesturing towards his dirty clothes and greasy hair. Even though he seemed far more relaxed than earlier, he kept glancing up at the doorways every few seconds, scanning the room absentmindedly even as he continued talking with Arthur.

"You know, you could have cleaned up a bit for your soulmate day," Arthur replied, somewhat peevishly, though he was relieved to know that the man's current appearance wasn't normal. It was hard to tell what Alfred would look like after a shower, shave, and change of clothes, but Arthur was starting to feel more optimistic. He could see tanned skin beneath the dirt and a handsome chin under the stubble. Plus, those startlingly blue eyes showed promise. Arthur had a weakness for baby blues.

Casting his gaze down at his bare wrist, Alfred cringed. "Yeah, I sorta lost track of time. I've been dealing with some stuff lately."

"Something more important than your soulmate?"

Alfred nodded, a haunted look in his eyes. "I've got a stalker that wants to kill me."

" _What?_ " Arthur nearly spit out his tea in shock.

"It's gonna want to kill you too, if I'm not careful," Alfred continued, his voice numb and flat. "Look, I'm sorry. We should exchange numbers. I'll give you a call if I ever get this thing sorted out. And if I don't…" he looked away from Arthur and his voice hitched. "I just hope you find someone nice."

"You're… leaving?" Arthur asked. "Just like that?"

"Trust me when I say it's for the best," Alfred said, so fervently that Arthur actually believed him. They exchanged numbers and Arthur noticed that Alfred had a very nice mobile. What sort of hobo had such a nice phone? He sat in confusion as he watched Alfred finish off his drink and get ready to leave. When Alfred reached the door, he turned back and gave Arthur a bittersweet smile. "You're gorgeous, you know."

And with that, he left.

Feeling numb, Arthur stood up and took his position behind the counter, unsure how he was going to explain to everyone he knew that his soulmate had basically dumped him with an it's-not-you-it's-my-stalker speech. Lost in his dark, depressing thoughts, it took Arthur a few moments to notice the commotion outside. Police car lights flashed right outside the shop and he could hear shouting. Arthur ran over to the door and stepped outside just in time to see a cop arresting Alfred on the sidewalk.

"Please, _please_ , you can't lock me up! It's going to kill me," Alfred begged pitifully.

"You have the right to remain silent," the cop said, ignoring Alfred's outburst as he adjusted the handcuffs. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?"

"Please, let me call my mom! This is just a mistake."

"Sir, do you understand your rights?"

Glancing around desperately, Alfred caught Arthur's gaze. His blue eyes widened and his lip quivered. "Arthur! You gotta bail me out. I've only got two days before it gets here!" he yelled.

"Just put him in the car, we'll deal with the Miranda rights later," the other cop said, rolling his eyes at Alfred's heart-rending pleas.

Arthur stood frozen and silent as he watched the cops drive away with his soulmate. He jumped when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder; he turned around to see it was just his coworker.

She gave him a sympathetic look. "So he's a hobo _and_ a criminal?"

"That would appear to be the case," Arthur admitted, feeling his heart sink even lower. Everyone knew the watches were always right, so why had his gone so horribly wrong?


	2. It Continues

Because he was more of a hopeless romantic than he cared to admit, Arthur posted Alfred's bail as soon as his shift ended that evening. Despite the hit to his wallet, he took some comfort in learning that his soulmate's alleged crime was nothing worse than using a stolen credit card to pay for gas. Perhaps there was some hope for them after all... other than the stalker and the fact that Arthur would lose his money if Alfred didn't show up for court in a week.

Still, after all the nightmare scenarios he had been imagining while whipping up caramel lattes, it was a relief to find out that his soulmate wasn't a hardened criminal. And sap that he was, Arthur even brought the disheveled young man home to his cramped apartment, though he spent the entire car ride wondering if he was making the right choice. He found it rather unnerving how Alfred kept glancing out of the car window, checking the empty streets for any sign of life.

It was dark by the time they arrived and somehow Arthur wasn't surprised that the first thing Alfred did was deadbolt the front door and then check each room like he was looking for monsters hidden in the closet. "Third floor, that's good," he said as he glanced out the windows.

"I'm glad my studio is to your satisfaction," Arthur commented dryly.

"Yeah." Alfred gave him a sheepish grin. "Look, I know this is going to sound like overkill, but unless the building is burning down, can you promise me you won't open this door until I've looked out the peephole first? Not even if someone is knocking. My stalker likes to hide behind other people and get in that way."

"If it'll make you feel better…" Arthur shrugged. He doubted that a door would be enough to stop a determined stalker, but he didn't want to worry Alfred further. The lad obviously had enough on his plate.

"Thank you, thank you!" Alfred replied, smiling as he wrapped Arthur in a tight hug.

Arthur wrinkled his nose. "Fine. But it would make _me_ feel better if you took a shower."

"Oh, right. That's a good idea." With a look of embarrassment, Alfred headed off to the bathroom. That left Arthur to find him some clothes and figure out what they would do about the sleeping situation. He knew a lot of soulmates shared the same bed immediately but he wasn't quite ready for that level of intimacy, for obvious reasons. Looking in his closet for his largest pieces of clothing, he jumped in surprise when he heard an unfamiliar ring tone. Following the sound, he found Alfred's phone ringing on the kitchen counter.

The caller ID showed a picture of a lovely, middle-aged woman with short, curly brown hair and eyes just as blue as Alfred's. For her name, the phone just said, 'Mom.'

After a moment's internal debate, Arthur picked up the phone and answered the call. She looked nice. And if Alfred was in legal trouble, he was going to need all of the help he could get. Mostly though, Arthur was dying from someone to explain to him what was going on. He cleared his throat and answered, "Hello."

"Oh!" a pleasant voice replied. "You aren't… is Alfred there?"

"He's in the shower."

"I see." The other end of the line was silent for a few moments. "Who is this?"

"I'm Arthur. I'm… well, I'm Alfred's soulmate." It felt strange to say it out loud. He'd been shying away from the thought all day, and other than his coworker, no one else knew.

"Of course!" He heard her gasp in relief. "I can't believe I forgot."

"So did Alfred," Arthur replied with a wry smile. Like mother, like son, apparently.

"You must think I'm a terrible mother," she replied with a tone of chagrin.

"Well, it's easy to see how you'd forget with the whole stalker situation."

There was an uncomfortable silence on the other end. As he waited, Arthur could hear Alfred turn off the shower and switch over to the hair dryer. When Alfred's mother finally spoke, her voice was thick with emotion. "We've all been so worried about Alfred lately. He just hasn't been the same since his friend died. I hate to tell you this because I don't want you to think poorly of my son… but whenever he pointed out this stalker, there was nothing there."

Arthur frowned. "It's not real?"

"His therapist said it's probably a visual hallucination caused by guilt over Ivan's death." She sighed. "Alfie doesn't answer the phone for me anymore, but tell him that I'm sorry about calling in the stolen credit card. I just… we really want him to come home. Tell him to come home. We'll get him whatever help he needs."

"I see." Arthur knitted his brows together in thought. "I'll talk to him."

"Thank you." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad he finally met you, Arthur. Maybe you're what he needs right now," she said hopefully.

"Perhaps," Arthur replied with mild trepidation, too polite to crush a mother's hopes. For god's sake, he wasn't a therapist or a psychologist. He made coffee for a living! And he was beginning to fear that he was in way over his head.

He hung up the phone just as he heard Alfred step out of the bathroom. When he looked over at Alfred, he was suddenly very grateful that he had set the phone on the counter. If he had still be holding it, he would have dropped the expensive mobile onto the floor in shock.

Arthur blinked, unable to believe his eyes. Instead of a dirty hobo with greasy hair, he now found himself face to face with a modern-day Hercules. Alfred had slung a towel low around his waist, leaving Arthur free to ogle his six-pack abs, stunning chest, and those wonderful, muscular arms. Where had Alfred been hiding those guns? And when his eyes had drunk their fill of tanned, sculpted muscles, Arthur moved his gaze upward to admire the handsome, clean-shaven face. He noticed how Alfred's soft blond hair shimmered beneath the kitchen lights and he felt a sudden urge to card his fingers through those golden locks. Alfred flashed him a bright smile and Arthur nearly swooned. He took back every bad thought he had had about the soulmate watches. Clearly they knew what they were doing!

"Got any clothes for me?" Alfred asked casually, apparently unaware that he was a walking wet dream.

"Sorry, no. You're going to have to walk around naked."

Alfred just laughed and sauntered over to Arthur's closet. (That butt! Oh god, that butt!) He picked out a large shirt and large pair of boxers, then dropped his towel to the ground, giving Arthur a marvelous view of his naked ass. Arthur drooled while Alfred dressed. Fortunately for Arthur, his clothing was tight enough that he still had a good view of Alfred's muscles and butt even after the lad finished dressing.

Arthur was no longer worried about sharing a bed. In fact, he was rather looking forward to it. Was Alfred the sort of person who would want to get started right away on the physical aspect of their soulmate relationship? He certainly hoped so.

"Oh man, it's been forever since I slept in a real bed," Alfred said, sighing in delight as he plopped onto Arthur's queen-sized mattress. He rolled back and forth like a kid playing with a new toy. Arthur should have been annoyed at Alfred's presumptive behavior, but it was hard to be upset when the young man finally looked happy.

"Would you like some supper?" Arthur offered.

Alfred immediately perked up. "Heck yeah! Food would be awesome!"

Recognizing his limitations in the kitchen, Arthur settled for making two sandwiches. The prep time was quick, but by the time he returned to the bed, he found Alfred already fast asleep. His face looked much younger in peaceful slumber. Arthur smiled. He walked over to Alfred's side of the bed and reached to tuck the blanket around the sleeping young man.

Unfortunately, Alfred must have been a light sleeper. He woke up immediately, eyes widening in horror when he saw Arthur standing over him. Before Arthur could react, Alfred rolled off the other side of the bed and raced for the door.

"Alfred?" Arthur called hesitantly. "It's okay, it's just me," he added when he rounded the corner and saw Alfred unlocking the front door as fast as humanly possible.

With those words, Alfred seemed to calm down. He slowly turned around and took a deep breath. "Keep talking."

"What do you want me to talk about?"

"Anything!"

Finding it difficult to think of a subject on the spot, Arthur settled for reciting his biography. "I was born in a town south of London. My mother moved here when I was young. I can still do the accent, but I usually don't because people can be so obnoxious about it."

Alfred cracked a weak smile. "Really? I think accents are sexy."

"Yes, and that's usually what I'm avoiding," Arthur replied, though he filed away that little tidbit of information for later use. "Where are you from? We haven't really had a chance to talk about ourselves yet."

"LA."

"Is it as lovely as people say?"

"Even better. I'll have to show you once..." Alfred trailed off. He avoided Arthur's gaze and turned around to lock the front door again. "Thanks. I'm sorry I keep acting like this."

"I know you've been through a lot lately. Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Yeah... yeah, I probably should," Alfred said, sighing and following Arthur back to the bed. They ate their sandwiches in silence. Eventually Alfred stared at his empty plate, a haunted look on his face as he finally worked up the courage to speak. "It all started with this kid I knew at college. His name was Ivan…"


	3. It Pursues

_"We were in Chess club together. He was really good, almost as good as me." Alfred frowned. "Then he came in one day looking like shit. He kept checking over his shoulder, jumping at the smallest noise. Anyone moving around freaked him out."_

 _"What was wrong with him?" Arthur asked, feeling a pit in his stomach grow as he recognized how much those symptoms mirrored Alfred's._

 _"There was this thing following him. To Ivan, it could look like anyone, his mom, his sister, anyone. But it was invisible to everyone else. It always knew where he was and it was always walking toward him. It isn't fast, but it never stops." Alfred took a deep breath and looked away guiltily. "He wanted help. I… I didn't believe him."_

 _The silence lasted so long that Arthur wondered if Alfred was going to finish the story. He reached over and clasped Alfred's hand. The young man squeezed back and used his other hand to wipe the tears from his eyes._

 _"I didn't help him and it killed him," Alfred whispered. "That's what it does when it catches you. The only way to escape is to keep running or pass it on."_

Stacking the glasses next to the expresso machine, Arthur glanced at Alfred out of the corner of his eye. He kept replaying his soulmate's words in his mind, and he didn't know what to make of the young man's story. Either his soulmate was being stalked by a ruthless demonic entity, or he was insane. From Arthur's perspective, neither option was good.

Alfred caught his gaze almost immediately and flashed him a quick grin. With his handsome appearance and a casual hoodie and jeans, he actually looked like he belonged in the coffee shop now. He even had a high-end Alienware laptop that he had fetched from his car when they arrived for Arthur's shift. The coworker who had commiserated with Arthur about his soulmate the day before had certainly been impressed by the transformation.

"Holy shit, he's hot!" she said, nearly dropping a glass onto the floor when Alfred walked in.

Arthur certainly didn't disagree with her assessment, he just wished that she would stop ogling his soulmate. That was _his_ job!

 _"And how do you pass it on…?" Arthur asked, arching an eyebrow._

 _Alfred dropped his gaze to the bed and bit his lip uncomfortably. "When you have sex with someone, it follows them instead. But once it kills them, it comes back to you, making its way back down the line. Sooner or later, you know it'll get you."_

 _With each description of the invisible shape-shifting sex-hating demon, Arthur felt increasingly worried about his soulmate's sanity. "It's rather hard to believe."_

 _"Yeah, I can't blame you." Alfred laughed mirthlessly. "I didn't either when Toris explained it to me. If I had, I probably wouldn't have agreed to help. He had passed it on to Ivan, but it was back to him. He was terrified. One blow job later and it was following me."_

During an afternoon lull in the stream of customers, Arthur wandered over to Alfred's table. "What are you working on?" he asked as soon as he started moving toward Alfred. After Alfred's panic attack the previous night, he was careful to talk whenever he moved closer to Alfred. From the grateful look on his soulmate's face, he could tell that Alfred appreciated it.

"Just a little computer script," Alfred replied. He continued tapping away at his laptop, but he scooted over on the bench to give Arthur room to sit down next to him.

The computer screen showed a map of the United States. It had two lines that zig-zagged across the States, one in blue and the other in red. The areas where the lines met where shown in black. As Arthur stared at the screen, he noticed that the red line was slowly inching across the screen. He had thought it was a video game at first, but he felt a dark pit grow in his stomach when he realized what it _really_ was. Alfred was tracking his stalker. Or was it all just a game he had made up in his head?

"How do you know where it is?" Arthur asked quietly.

"I don't," Alfred admitted. "But I've got my phone keeping track of where _I_ am."

Arthur nodded thoughtfully, genuinely impressed with the level of skill required to make the program. His soulmate was hot _and_ smart. If it weren't for his other issues, Arthur would have felt quite lucky.

 _"So… what you're saying is that you have a supernatural STD?"_

 _"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up."_

 _"That sounds... very difficult to live with," Arthur replied diplomatically. He understood now why Alfred's mother believed he was suffering from hallucinations after his friend's death. But that still didn't explain what had happened to his friend. All that Arthur knew was that it was late and he had been through a very long day. Alfred didn't object when he suggested that they would both feel better after a good night's sleep._

 _As he held Alfred in his arms, Arthur felt a swell of affection blossom in his chest. Something Alfred's mother had said struck a chord with him. They hadn't met under the best circumstances. But… perhaps this was destiny's way of giving Alfred the help he needed at the time when he needed it most._

When his shift finally ended, Arthur took Alfred home and insisted that he call his mother to apologize for stealing her credit card (and perhaps see if she was willing to drop the charges). She agreed on the condition that Alfred come back home. Arthur thought it was a sensible plan. It just needed one addition: him.

* * *

Arthur glanced at the clock as he tossed another set of trousers into his duffel bag. He had five minutes left to pack and he wasn't sure what to wear when he met Alfred's parents. Would the green sweater vest be a better choice? It might make him look traditional… or perhaps just stuffy. As he dithered over his clothing options, he heard a car honk outside his building.

Alfred was getting impatient.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Arthur muttered to himself. He grabbed the sweater vest and added it to his already over-stuffed bag. He turned off the lights, locked his door, and jogged down to the front entryway with one minute to spare from Alfred's self-imposed deadline.

"Get in the car, Arthur!" Alfred shouted impatiently, standing next to his vehicle and scanning the horizon in all directions.

Busy stuffing his bag into the overflowing back seat, Arthur missed the moment when Alfred's body tensed in fear. Not noticing the look, he gave his bag one last check and realized he had forgotten something important. "Fuck. My mobile charger," he muttered under his breath. Arthur turned around to go back to his apartment to fetch it.

"Get in the car!" Alfred snapped, his voice verging on panic. The fear in his voice made Arthur whirl around. He could see that Alfred's gaze was locked on the horizon, on something that seemed to be moving closer. With one last look down the street, Alfred jumped into the driver's seat. He drove forward a few meters, making Arthur run after him.

"Wait up!" Arthur cried. He hastily climbed into the front seat and the car took off again before he even had a chance to close the door or put on his seat belt. After he did both, he glanced over his shoulder to look out the rear window. The street behind them was empty. He felt a heavy fear in his stomach grow as he worried about his soulmate's sanity. "Was that it?" he asked when he heard Alfred's breathing slowly return to normal.

"Yeah," Alfred replied, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"What did it look like?"

Alfred shook his head. "You don't want to know."

"Keeping information from each other isn't a good way to start off a relationship," Arthur noted, remembering the advice he'd read from self-help books over the years. He thought he'd been preparing to meet his soulmate. It turned out that he should have read the psychology books instead. "Maybe it's a clue?" he suggested.

"God, I hope not," was Alfred's terse reply.

The uncomfortable silence lingered as Alfred drove them out of town and onto the busy interstate that would eventually lead them to LA. With ten miles between them and Arthur's apartment, he finally relaxed. He glanced over at Arthur and gave him an undecipherable look.

"It looked like you. Almost every time I see it, it looks like _you_."


	4. It Cockblocks

They spent most of the car ride just talking and Arthur soon felt like he had known Alfred his whole life. The young man was boisterous and naïve and hopelessly optimistic. He laughed easily and smiled often, showing a newfound ease once they had put an hour of driving behind them. Arthur, who had always been a dedicated introvert, could begin to see the shape of their relationship already. Alfred would push him outside of his comfort zone. He, in turn, would remind Alfred to keep his feet on the ground.

Despite their different personalities, it was easy to talk with Alfred about anything. He even seemed excited about the book Arthur was writing (a steampunk retelling of the Persephone myth set in the London underground). And he enjoyed Arthur's snarky humor, nearly snorting soda out of his nostrils at one joke.

They just _clicked_ in a way Arthur had never known was possible. It reminded him of the first time he had sipped a perfectly blended chai latte. It was new and different, but he _liked_ it, and he wanted more.

By the time they were ready to stop for the night, they were bickering about their favorite food and restaurants with the ease of an old married couple. Unfortunately for them, the grocery store and diner had all closed in the rinky-dink town closest to the interstate. Faced with no better options, they foraged for dinner at the local gas station. Stale sandwiches weren't Arthur's idea of a good meal, but at least the place had an impressive liquor supply.

"I think they have more booze than food," Arthur remarked as he glanced down the aisles. "It's probably the only way they manage to survive so far from civilization."

"Hey, beer is a type of food," Alfred replied with a grin, eyeing a six pack.

"You're not even old enough to drink."

"Yeah, good thing I've got a sexy older boyfriend." Alfred winked.

Arthur rolled his eyes, even as he felt a rush of warmth at the "boyfriend" label. He rather liked the "sexy" too. So he didn't object when Alfred added a bottle of rum to the shopping basket. It looked like a good choice to him, and they would be using Alfred's mother's credit card to pay for all of it anyway. Fortunately for them, it was a sketchy enough place that the clerk didn't even blink an eye at two young men using a card in the name of one "Amelia Jones."

Finding a hotel room not much later, they were soon drinking straight from the bottle as they watched bad late night television on a hotel bed with broken springs. Even though it wasn't Arthur's first choice for a date with his soulmate, he found himself warming up to it by the half-bottle mark.

"I expect a proper date evenshally," Arthur said as he stole the remote and changed the channel. It didn't matter how tipsy he was, there was no way he was watching American late night comedy.

"Wha' date do ya want?" Alfred asked, rolling onto his side and gazing at Arthur. "No sex tho."

"That wasn't what I was thinking!" Arthur lied.

"It's wha' I'm thinkin'," Alfred moaned in frustration. "But I can't!"

"Right… of course." Arthur felt sorry for Alfred. Even if the monster didn't actually exist, it certainly was real enough for Alfred. With his favorite option off the table, Arthur faltered as he tried to remember what he had been hoping to do when they first met. He'd built up a wonderful bubble of daydreams that had popped in the face of reality. Of course, in retrospect, he would have settled for a clean soulmate without any arrest warrants. "Mebbe a nice restaurant. Scinta… scintill… good conversation."

"Bottle a' wine?" Alfred suggested knowingly.

"Absolutely."

"Let's do it when we get home," Alfred replied, giving Arthur a loose smile. "And I want a moon… moonlit walk on th' beach."

"You know… we've got a pool here," Arthur suggested, feeling a flash of inspiration. "And a moon."

Alfred laughed. "But I don't have swim trunks!"

"That's okay." Arthur smirked. "Neither do I."

Ten minutes later, they were climbing over the fence into the pool area, wearing just their boxers and both more than a little tipsy. Arthur made a beeline for the hot tub. He dipped in a toe and smiled in delight at how wonderfully warm the water was. After shimmying out of his boxers, he climbed into the tub and leaned back with a blissful sigh.

When no one followed him in, he glanced up to find Alfred gaping at him, mouth open wide enough to fit in an entire hamburger. (That was not an exaggeration. After their first fast food lunch, Arthur could indeed attest to Alfred's impressive swallowing abilities.)

"Come on," Arthur urged. "It feels good."

"You're… you're…" Alfred's voice trailed off as his admiring gaze dropped deeper into the water. "Wow," he breathed.

Arthur took a moment to soak up the appreciation, grateful that the attraction went both ways. But, as he quickly pointed out to Alfred, it was hardly fair that _he_ was the only one naked.

Biting his lip, Alfred turned around and bent over as he tugged off his boxers, giving Arthur another glorious view of his cute butt. The tipsy young man tried to climb into the tub backwards to preserve his modesty. But he slipped on a step and ending up falling in backwards.

Arthur laughed as he was splashed with water. He grinned and helped Alfred onto the seat next to him, taking his chance to enjoy the view of the young man's muscular legs and thick cock. "You're not bad looking yourself," he said. Now that he had the perfect model, perhaps he needed to figure out a way to add a modern Hercules to his plans for a novel.

Closing his eyes, Arthur leaned back and visualized the scene. The hunk would be an airplane pilot and it could get so very hot on those steam-powered planes. Covered in grease and sweat, he'd strip down to his undies, showing off the bulge underneath. Could grease be a type of lube? Arthur mentally added it to his research list for later. Then the pilot would bend over the engine, perfectly accentuating his cute butt. God, mechanics were so hot. Tipsy enough to lose himself in the daydream, Arthur licked his lips and moaned softly. He didn't even realize he was half hard until Alfred nudged him in the side.

"Uh, Arthur?"

Blinking open his eyes, Arthur glanced down to see that Alfred was in the same predicament.

"We can't… we can't do anything together," Alfred said, a strain in his voice despite the flush in his cheeks. "I can't risk passing it on."

"It's okay," Arthur replied soothingly, resting a hand on Alfred's shoulder and squeezing the strong muscles beneath his fingers. "I can take care of myself." With his other hand, Arthur reached down and began to stroke himself, liking the way that Alfred's eyes widened at the shameless display. If he couldn't have sex, at least he could have the next best thing.

The lap of the water against the side of the tub grew louder as Arthur increased his speed. The heat of the water was nothing compared to the pleasure igniting his veins. He'd never realized before how much he liked having an admiring audience. And Alfred was _very_ appreciative, his cheeks flushing and his breath quickening as he watched Arthur reach his climax.

For a few moments of pure bliss, Arthur let all of his stress and troubles drift away in the warm cocoon of the hot tub. He felt relaxed and happy and free. He leaned over and gave Alfred a soft kiss on the lips, feeling the young man shudder and gasp beneath him.

Arthur sighed happily. "I like this moonlit beach."

* * *

He woke up with a cottony taste in his mouth and the cold feeling that there should be someone wrapped around him when there wasn't. Turning his head ever so slightly to see the alarm clock, Arthur lay still and hoped that his hangover would go away. He focused on the pleasant hazy memories, ignoring the ones where the hotel employees had caught them naked in the hot tub. At least they'd just been kissing at that point.

Those sweet, passionate kisses… Arthur smiled in satisfaction and the throb of his hangover suddenly didn't seem so bad. He drifted on the edge of sleep for a few minutes longer until Alfred returned to the room with two cups. He looked about as hungover as Arthur felt, with his messy hair and bleary blue eyes. And yet… a warm rush of affection filled Arthur's chest at seeing his soulmate bring him a hot beverage in the morning. To the young man's credit, it was even a cup of tea. Not very good tea, but that was hardly Alfred's fault.

They each showered and shaved, not bothering with conversation when they both still felt like shit. Arthur sipped his lukewarm tea and began to plot out his next moves. If he ever wanted to have sex with his soulmate, he needed to convince the young man that the threat wasn't real. That meant he needed to learn more about Toris and Ivan. And on the off chance that it _was_ real, he had to find a way to kill it.

By the time they had checked out and he started to feel sober again, Arthur felt like he had the beginnings of a solid plan.

"I've been thinking about your stalker," he told Alfred as they carried their bags from the hotel lobby to the car. "And I think I know what we need to do next."

 _That_ got Alfred's full attention. He frowned. "I'm not sleeping with a hooker," he said, a little too loudly judging by the way the old woman at the front desk glared at them.

Arthur snorted. "And I wouldn't ask you to."

"You're _not_ gonna tell me to pass it on?"

"That hardly seems heroic," Arthur replied. He'd figured out easily enough for himself why Alfred would never choose that option. Even if it was just a figment of Alfred's imagination, Arthur was still impressed by his willingness to put his own life on the line to protect others. And for his own sake, he'd rather not deal with the risk of actual STDs caught from a prostitute.

"So what are ya thinking?" Alfred asked as they climbed into the car.

"We turn the tables and follow _it_. Trace who gave it to whom and find out what everyone knows. It had to start _somewhere_."

Arthur felt a little silly for acting like he believed in it completely, but all of his qualms vanished as soon as he saw the blazing light of hope that shined in Alfred's eyes. He was worth it.


	5. It Knows

A golden retriever bounded out toward the car as they pulled into the driveway. The Jones family house was a modest ranch-style home with white siding and light blue trim. A small porch and a few flowering bushes decorated the front. Like most of the yards in the neighborhood, the grass had seen better days, with a few brown patches here and there.

"Dug! Good boy!" Alfred called, hopping out of the car and opening his arms as the retriever leapt up and licked his face.

"Alfred!" his mother cried just a moment later. She rushed down from the porch and wrapped both Alfred and the dog into one big hug. "Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're home."

While the two humans continued to embrace, the retriever wiggled out and dashed over to Arthur. He sniffed Arthur's hand and wagged his tail excitedly. "I'm really more of a cat person," Arthur told the dog, holding his hands out to stop the retriever from jumping up on him.

Alfred laughed and pulled his mother over to introduce her to Arthur. Looking just as lovely as she had on the phone, she gave him a hug and a smile. "Thank you for taking good care of him."

"I can take care of myself!" Alfred protested playfully as the two young men followed his mother into the house, the dog padding along behind them.

The house was nicely decorated but cluttered, with papers strewn across the kitchen table, chairs, and counters. Amelia cleared three of the chairs and gestured for Arthur to sit. He did, taking his time to look around the kitchen. It felt homey and warm, reminded him of one of his earlier apartments with its tiled floors and yellow walls.

They had something to eat and drink while Ms. Jones filled the room with small talk and polite chatter. Arthur told her most of what he had told Alfred. Yes, he had a job, but it was just to pay the bills while he worked on his novel. No, his parents didn't live close by. No, he hadn't really thought about whether he wanted children or not.

" _Mom_ , stop interrogating him!" Alfred complained. He shut up a moment later as his mother frowned at him and handed him an enevelope.

"Well, if you'd rather talk about something else... the school put you on academic probation while you were gone. I've got an appointment for you with the therapist tomorrow. If she clears you, we can put this whole thing behind us."

Alfred crossed his arms. "I'm not going there again."

"Honey," she said with a worried frown.

"I'm not crazy!" Alfred gave Arthur a beseeching look. "Arthur, tell her I'm not crazy!"

"I don't think he's crazy," Arthur said, mostly because he hoped it was true. He leaned over to rest his hand reassuringly on Alfred's shoulder. " _But_ , if it helps you get back into school, I think you should see the therapist."

"Why?" Alfred demanded with a look of betrayal.

"Just tell her that you were really stressed after Ivan's death, but you're feeling better now." He gave Alfred a meaningful look. "When you're done, we can meet up with your friends."

Alfred shrugged off Arthur's shoulder and angrily strode out of the kitchen, making his way back to the car. He grabbed their bags from the trunk, but kept glancing over his shoulder, watching as Arthur followed him. "If you're gonna do that, at least say something," he muttered under his breath.

"I know you don't want to lie, but it really will be easier if your mother doesn't think you're crazy," Arthur replied softly, taking his own bag from Alfred as they walked together back into the house. He paused and gaped for a moment when they reached Alfred's bedroom at the end of the hallway. Every inch of wall was covered with posters from all of the superhero movies that had come out in the past decade. It was a smorgasbord of bright colors and explosions. And… perhaps the decorations of someone who had a hard time telling fiction from reality.

Alfred tossed his duffel bag onto a bed that was already covered in rumpled clothing. "We've only got two weeks before it gets here. I don't want to waste any of it with a shrink."

"It doesn't have to be a waste of time. _I_ can talk with Toris during your appointment," Arthur said in a reasonable tone of voice. "There may be subjects he would be embarrassed to discuss with you." Truthfully, he was just hoping for a chance to talk with Toris alone so he could find out if anyone actually believed what Alfred was saying or if they were merely humoring their friend the same way he was.

"What's the point of going back to school if I have to run off again in two weeks?"

"First, it gets your mother off your back. Seeing as how she could still charge you for stealing her credit card to pay for gas, that seems like a significant plus. Second... if we're lucky, we can find a solution and you _can_ go back to school."

"Do you _really_ think this is a good idea?" Alfred paused with one hand in the bag. He still looked upset with Arthur as he turned around, but at least now there was more of a thoughtful glimmer in his gaze.

Arthur nodded. "I do."

"Alright, fine," Alfred relented. "I'll go lie to the therapist."

"Thank you." Arthur leaned over and gave his soulmate a peck on the cheek. He left Alfred to finish his unpacking (which mostly consisted of adding rumpled clothes to other piles of rumpled clothes) and went to tell Amelia the good news.

She reacted with relief and a wreath of smiles. In that moment, she bore a striking resemblance to her son with her twinkling eyes and bright smile. So it took a moment or two for him to process her next words. "It's so good to have you both here, but a little odd too."

"…odd?"

Her smile faded away. "Well, when Alfred tried to describe his stalker to me, he almost always described someone who looked like you."

Arthur faked a laugh even as a shiver ran down his spine. "It certainly wasn't me! I just met him four days ago and I have the watch to prove it."

"Oh, I know, dear," she reassured him. "It's just… odd."

"Perhaps he'd dreamt of me? I hear that happens sometimes with soulmates," Arthur said, desperately hoping it was true. A soulmate who needed a therapist he could deal with. One who needed an exorcist? That was way out of his league.

"Ah, yes." She smiled again. "You must be right."

* * *

As he drove to Toris's apartment near campus the next morning, Arthur tried to push the disquieting words out of his head. It was just a coincidence. It had to be a coincidence. There was no way on earth that an invisible shape-shifter was plodding towards them, always plotting Alfred's death. He kept repeating those words to himself as he knocked on the door. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real.

Twenty seconds later, he heard a man shriek and the sound of running inside the apartment.

"Toris? Is that you?" Arthur called, beginning to worry.

A few more seconds passed before the door suddenly burst open, revealing a platinum haired young woman in a blue skirt who pointed two daggers straight at Arthur's face. "If you touch him, I vill kill you, da?"

"Ah... I think I have the wrong address," Arthur said, backing away slowly.

"No," a tired voice interrupted. "I think you're looking for me." A young man hesitantly stepped closer to the door, his chin-length brown hair swaying back and forth as he nervously glanced in every direction. "Alfred said you'd be coming."

Arthur nodded hesitantly. "I take it you're Toris?"

Instead of a verbal answer, he found himself pulled into the apartment while the young woman locked the door behind him with enough deadbolts to stop even the most determined thief. As Arthur stepped inside, he noticed that the insides of the windows were protected with black iron bars.

Other than the security measures, it seemed like a normal college student's apartment. The TV in the living room sat on a makeshift shelf filled with video games. The horrendously ugly plaid couch could only have come from an alley somewhere. He hoped for everyone's sake that they had found one without bedbugs. Toris and dagger-lady took the couch while Arthur opted for one of the nearby folding chairs instead.

Toris looked disturbed and terrified. "I knew it could look like the people close to you, but I never realized it could look like someone you hadn't even met."

"So… you recognize me?"

"You're the short blond with the huge eyebrows that was following Alfred."

Arthur choked back an angry retort about the insult to his eyebrows. Now really wasn't the time for it. "It wasn't me."

"I know, I know." Toris glanced around the room like it was a nervous tic. "If you're in a room, make sure it has two exits," he said. "When you sleep, you need a door with good deadbolts and a room with no windows. Keep your car filled with gas. Avoid crowds." He leaned closer, a frightened look in his sad brown eyes. "If you want my advice, pass it on. Go on a trip to Europe and sleep with someone promiscuous."

Arthur was taken aback by the other man's intensity. Listening to those words, he felt his chest tighten with a dark, foreboding notion. "This isn't a prank, is it?"

"No." Toris shook his head sadly.

"Is it close?" the young woman suddenly interrupted, sounding a little too eager for someone who was taking about a murderous demon.

"Alfred thinks that we have about two weeks." Arthur glanced down at his watch. "He should be here in thirty minutes or so after he finishes with the therapist. I just wanted to meet you first to make sure that… well…"

"…that your soulmate wasn't nuts?" Toris suggested with a sad smile.

"He isn't," the woman insisted. "Ivan _never_ would have killed himself."

Arthur glanced between the two and felt the last of his doubts melt away. If this was madness, there was method it in. Alfred's fearful reactions, Toris's security measures, and Ivan's death all added up to something so terrible and frightening that he could barely comprehend it. Death itself was stalking his soulmate and their road trip had only bought them a fortnight. He shivered and reminded himself of his goal: find out what it was, then find out a way to kill it.

"We'll help you as much as we can," Toris promised. "I owe Alfred." He glanced to his side and belatedly made introductions. "This is Natalia, Ivan's sister."

"I'm waiting for it to come back. So I can kill it."

Arthur nodded, grateful that dagger-lady was on his side. "Thanks. Let's start from the beginning. Who gave it to you?"

For a few moments of tense silence, he was afraid that Toris wouldn't answer. The brunet dropped his gaze and sighed. When he did speak, it was in a voice barely above a whisper. "We went to Amsterdam for spring break," he said quietly, "and everyone wanted to visit the red light district." He shook his head with a sad, rueful look. "His name was Feliks."

"Did he warn you?" Arthur asked.

"No, but he said a few things that only made sense later." Toris shivered. "Ivan and I started dating near the end of the semester. We were lucky, I suppose. We noticed the person walking towards him and he was able to fight it off when it tried to grab him. He wanted to fight it. I think… I think he went to the beach to try and kill it. Or maybe he just gave up."

"Ivan would never give up," Natalia angrily insisted.

"Did you ever talk to Feliks?" Arthur asked, changing the subject.

Toris rested his hands on his knees and nodded. "Yeah. He didn't even know he had infected me. He says he never knows where he is in the chain or which of his customers will get it next. He just keeps sleeping with someone every day and hopes it will go away."

"Not a terrible strategy if you don't mind signing so many death warrants," Arthur mused. "But I want to know where _he_ got it."

"He didn't know. He said his customers started dying about two years ago."

"So someone passed it on to Feliks without his knowledge and he's been spreading it around the globe ever since." Arthur sighed and buried his head in his hands. "Wonderful."

"You could fly to Amsterdam and give it back to him," Natalia suggested with a wicked grin.

Toris shook his head. "I don't know if that would work. We never tried to figure out if you could give it back to someone who was already cursed."

"I don't think it matters anyway," Arthur interjected. "I can't pay for a flight to Amsterdam and I don't think Ms. Jones will be buying the ticket either."

"What about your parents?" Natalia asked.

Arthur silently shook his head, not wanting to elaborate on his sad family situation to what were essentially strangers. "I guess the only option is to keep running or find a way to kill it."

They all jumped at the sound of loud knocking at the door. Toris hid behind the couch while Natalia and Arthur went to answer it. Arthur reached for the deadbolts, but Natalia pushed his hand away. "Always check before you open." She looked through the peephole. "Who is it?"

"Guys, it's cool, it's me," Alfred called from behind the door. He beamed at them when Natalia let him into the apartment. "Guess who has a certificate that says he's not crazy!"

"That's wonderful news," Arthur replied. Surprising both himself and Alfred, he pulled his soulmate into a hug. He found it reassuring to have Alfred in his arms. Death was inevitable for everyone, but the prospect suddenly seemed terrifyingly close for his soulmate. How could two weeks ever be enough time to prepare for something that had the power to make itself invisible or change its form? What were they up against? He buried his cheek against Alfred's shoulder and breathed in the smell of sunshine with a hint of gasoline.

"Is everything okay?" Alfred asked quietly as he stroked Arthur's hair.

"I don't want to lose you," Arthur whispered, holding on to Alfred tightly as Toris and Natalia thoughtfully gave them a bit of privacy. Taking heart in the warm embrace, he looked up into Alfred's eyes with renewed determination. "I will do everything I can to help you destroy it."

"I knew I could count on you." Alfred nodded, his gaze filled with tender love and rueful sorrow.

"Always," Arthur swore. This was _his_ fight now.

Alfred grinned. "Then let's get some pizza and figure out how we're gonna kill this thing."


	6. It Approaches

In the cramped apartment living room, they tossed around ideas for killing it or trapping it and quickly discarded one after another as too expensive, too difficult, or too likely to fail.

"Why don't you shoot it?" Natalia suggested.

Alfred shook his head. "Bullets don't kill it. They just slow it down."

Arthur secretly breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Alfred didn't want to pull out a gun and shoot something only he and Toris could see. He could only imagine how poorly that would end. But it was hard to come up with a better idea when they didn't have money to pay for the necessary supplies. "If it can't be killed, do you think we could trap it in a cage somehow?

Alfred frowned. "Maybe. It's pretty strong, but it can't seem to break down doors."

"We'd need some way to make sure no one would open the cage again," Toris added.

Natalia rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she glanced around the room at all of the different video game players. "If Arthur lured it into a pool, maybe we could electrocute it," she suggested.

"There are several different reasons why that wouldn't work," Arthur replied, lifting his hands up in front of him to deflect her attention. "To start off with, it's not following _me_."

They all turned to look at Alfred who sputtered and blushed. "What the hell, guys! I didn't give my soulmate a demon on our first date!"

"Oh. Demons are more of a third-date thing?" Natalia asked, quirking her lips.

The group laughed, mostly out of nerves. Like jokesters at the gallows, they tried to focus on the humor because it was better than staring at the noose. Just knowing that the monster was out there, making its way closer day by day was enough to give Arthur the chills. He lapsed into silence as the others continued discussing more and more far-fetched scenarios.

"…except that I don't _know_ any astronauts," Alfred complained, shooting down another sleep-with-someone-to-make-it-go-away idea. "And at least now I know where it is. Passing it on… you gotta live the rest of your life not knowing when it's gonna come back for you."

Someone pounded on the door and Arthur nearly jumped out of his skin. Heart beating fast, he walked over to the entryway and reminded himself that the monster was still hundreds of miles away. Nevertheless, he carefully looked through the peephole and asked, "Who's there?"

The pizza delivery guy rolled his eyes. "This better not be another fucking knock-knock joke," he complained, giving the door a vicious glare.

Standing next to Arthur, Alfred glanced out the peephole and gave him a nod. "Just the pizza boy," he whispered under his breath.

Arthur nodded back. "Don't worry, I don't even know any knock-knock jokes," he promised as he opened the door and handed over a twenty to pay for the pizzas. He decided he'd worry about the sorry state of his finances _after_ they'd dealt with his soulmate's stalker.

"I do!" Alfred said with a grin. "Knock, knock!"

"No, no! Shut up!" The pizza boy tossed Arthur's change into his face and angrily slammed the door. Arthur felt a surge of anger at the rude behavior, before realizing that he'd been saved the trouble of having to give a tip. Not that the angry delivery boy had deserved one anyway.

"Shut up who?" Alfred asked with a grin.

Arthur snorted. "Shut up and help me carry this pizza."

Alfred grabbed the two pizza boxes while Arthur picked up the change from the floor. He deadbolted the door and gave it a hard look. As he followed Alfred back to the folding chairs and ugly couch, a dark thought occurred to him. "I wonder how many it's killed while looking like a pizza delivery boy?" he mused aloud.

"It's smart, but I'm not sure it's _that_ smart."

"Good. We'll just have to be cleverer."

* * *

In the end, they turned to the place that offered answers for all of life's questions: the Internet. Alfred posted the rules of the "game" on reddit and asked for help coming up with ideas to defeat the monster. It was rather remarkable what sort of disturbing questions you could ask while claiming to be doing research for a novel.

Of course, it would be foolish to expect an immediate response. Arthur frowned, watching as Alfred obsessively refreshed the page on his laptop. He reached over and rested his hand on top of Alfred's.

They sat silently for a few moments, while Arthur wished there was more he could do to help. As much as he wanted to reassure Alfred that everything was going to be okay, it felt wrong to say the words when he didn't even know if they were even true. "Perhaps we should do something else for a little while," he suggested instead.

"Okay." Alfred closed the laptop and stared at the far wall.

It was a city with lovely beaches, nice museums, and delicious restaurants. So _of course_ Alfred wanted to go to the gun club for target practice. He even insisted on teaching Arthur the basics.

Despite the din of bullets and astringent smell of fired rounds, Arthur discovered that he rather liked the pull of the trigger under his finger as he aimed for the target. This was a challenge he could handle, firing away to vanquish the faceless silhouette at the end of the shooting range. When so much in his life was going wrong, it felt nice to be in control of something.

Alfred stepped behind him and adjusted Arthur's stance. The young man pressed his body against Arthur's and reached to help him master the right grip. It was close and comfortable and wonderful, even if the end result was more titillating than educational.

Carefully checking the sight line before each shot, Arthur managed to send most of the bullets into the silhouette, even hitting a bullseye on his final round. Pointing the empty gun toward the ground, he turned around to find Alfred giving him a thumbs-up and a bright grin.

"Wow, you're a natural!" Alfred shouted, trying hard to be heard over the sound of bullets and through Arthur's ear muffs.

Arthur nodded and handed him the gun. He stood back and watched in satisfaction as Alfred filled the target with holes. It was nice to see his soulmate focusing on something else for a while. He seemed almost happy as he aimed and fired. (And, as a nice bonus for Arthur, his position behind the line gave him a very nice view of Alfred's butt when the young man braced himself for each shot.)

They practiced until their time was up, taking turns with the handguns and rifles. Feeling a surge of power with each shot, Arthur finally understood a bit of the American obsession with firearms. It was almost like having a tiny pet dragon at your command.

It was a pity that dragons weren't an option. As an imaginative author, Arthur could think of at least a dozen ways a dragon would solve all of their problems. Plus, it would be _awesome_.

"That was awesome," Alfred said as they climbed back into the car, unconsciously echoing Arthur's thoughts. He leaned over to give Arthur a peck on the cheek.

Not satisfied with that chaste little kiss, Arthur cupped Alfred's head in his hands and responded with an open-mouthed smooch of epic toe-curling proportions that didn't end until they were both out of breath. "Yes, it was," he agreed when he finally pulled away, pleased with the dazed look on Alfred's face.

Clearly, he was very good at the distraction game. He even successfully distracted himself, mostly forgetting about their internet query until they were back at the apartment and Alfred booted up his computer again.

"Whoa," Alfred breathed, his eyes widening as he stared at the screen. He held up the laptop and showed it to Arthur. The post had went viral, garnering thousands of responses. Knowing the internet, many of them were undoubtedly of dubious quality, but Arthur felt a frisson of hope as he saw responses from so many people eager to help them.

They sat together and read through the posts, taking notes on the better ideas. Even as they scrolled down the page, more and more suggestions came in by the minute. Kill it, trap it, or pass it on, they suggested. A few even thought that it would be a good idea to stop having sex and just let it kill everyone with the curse, ending it forever.

But the true surprise was waiting for them in the private messages.

"Sleep with a sex worker with international customers. That's what I did," suggested a user named Rapanzel. An icon showing a blond girl with a frying pan smiled back at them.

"Holy shit," Alfred murmured, staring at the message in disbelief.

Seeing the shock and strain in his soulmate's face, Arthur reached over and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Don't let your hopes get too high," he suggested, even as he tried to take his own advice. "Ask her… ask her for his name."

Alfred quickly typed the message and they received the response almost immediately.

"Feliks."

Arthur gaped at the screen and tightened his grip on Alfred's shoulder. It didn't feel like they were just running away any more—it felt like they were ready to fight back. Even better, this was someone who could help them trace the monster to its source.

Alfred's hands flew across the keyboard as he pleaded for more information, leaving his message strewn with typos and grammatical errors.

"Knowing what it is isn't going to help you," she wrote back. "But if you really want to know, send me your address and I'll send you Vash Zwingli's research journals. Trust me though, passing it on is your only real choice."

Arthur glanced up from the screen and met blue eyes that were just as startled as his own. "Zwingli?" he asked in surprise. The name sounded oddly familiar.

"They do the pricey soulmate watches," Alfred replied, splitting his attention between Arthur and the screen as he typed back another hasty response, this time giving the stranger his address.

Arthur watched silently and pondered what the research might reveal. He remembered the advertisements now; accurate to a day or your money back, they promised. Certainly much better than his old watch, which had been a week off in its prediction. "But what do soulmate watches have to do with the monster?" he wondered aloud.

With the clack of Alfred's keyboard as his only response, Arthur suddenly worried that he didn't really want to know.

* * *

 _A/N: Credit for the cover art belongs to Evenica! You can see the full-size image on her tumblr (apologies for the crappy ffnet style link): .com (slash) post (slash) 121801215473. Thank you, Nica!_


	7. It Appears

After only a week, Arthur decided that he was quite ready to permanently trade rainy skies for LA's gorgeous weather. The sky was a brilliant blue and the air was warm and dry. If it weren't for everything else that was going on, it would have been a perfect day for the beach.

But instead of sand beneath his feet, he was faced with scraps of twisted metal. Stepping over a broken shopping cart, Arthur followed Toris down a winding path through the junkyard. He glanced left and right, checking the piles of rubbish for anything that might help them.

"Just a little further," Toris called encouragingly as he led Arthur around a mountain of old, worn-out tires.

Arthur's eyes widened when he caught sight of a large cage sitting in the middle of a somewhat flat area at the center of the yard. Doors swung open on both ends. He understood immediately how they planned to use the cage. It was a trap, and Alfred would be the bait.

"They used it for tigers at the circus," Toris explained. "Natalia convinced them that it was time to get a new one."

"How?" Arthur asked, stepping closer to the cage.

Natalia grinned and lifted up her skirt to reveal a dagger strapped to her shapely calf. It certainly gave new meaning to the phrase "showing some leg." Arthur found himself wondering once again if she had always been so knife-happy or if it was a recent development after her brother's brutal murder. Perhaps it made her feel better to have some steely protection.

"I wonder if it will work," Arthur said, turning around to ask Alfred's opinion.

But when he looked behind him, Alfred had disappeared.

Heart beating fast, Arthur ran back the way he came, desperately looking for any sight of his soulmate. "Alfred?" he shouted. "Alfred!"

Rounding the mountain of tires, he nearly ran smack into Alfred, who still had his head stuck in one of the journals they had received from the person on reddit. Alfred walked along slowly, his forehead creased in thought as he turned the page. After a moment, he looked up and finally noticed Arthur's worried look. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"Try not to fall behind," Arthur complained as he breathed a sigh of relief. Even knowing that he wouldn't be able to see the monster, he still felt better when he had Alfred in his sight. He took his soulmate by the elbow and led him down the path as Alfred kept reading.

"This is definitely talking about it," Alfred said. He pointed to a line on the page and read it aloud. "It doesn't sleep. It doesn't eat. It paces, always at the same speed."

"Anything on how to kill it?"

Alfred shook his head. "Not yet."

Despite Alfred's protests, Arthur gently took the journal out of his hand. "Then you'd better stop reading for a moment and tell us if you think this cage is strong enough to hold it."

All four of them examined the cage, testing the bars and checking the locks at either end. Alfred thought that it was strong enough. Hopefully. Given the limited options available, it seemed the best they could do at the moment. Mission accomplished, Alfred returned to the journal, another look of concentration on his face.

The ride back home was silent.

* * *

The journal had belonged to Vash Zwingli, heir to the wealthy Zwingli family that had invented the soulmate watches, and it described an experiment from ten years ago.

It had all started when Vash wanted to find a way to identify soulmates _before_ their destined meeting time. He still had a year to go on his watch and he was impatient. Taking the quarks that powered the soulmate watches, he formed a larger mass of energy. It was invisible to the eye, yet displayed some intriguing properties. Detectable only by the most sensitive electron microscopes, it was nevertheless able to move objects without a physical form. And it even seemed to have some rudimentary form of intelligence, repeatedly trying to escape from Vash's laboratory.

By injecting some of the quark energy into himself, he discovered that he was able to see the mass of quarks when no one else could. The mass changed forms at will—sometimes a freakishly tall man in a trenchcoat, other times a red-eyed man with wild white hair. The most disturbing occasions were when the mass took the form of his younger sister, half-naked in a torn pink nightgown.

Vash's conjecture that he could use the creature to identify soulmates turned out to be correct, as he discovered for himself when he met his soulmate and saw that the man was one of the forms the creature had worn. But the creature switched between so many forms that the discovery had little practical purpose.

Months passed without any notes in the journal. At the end was only a short, chilling entry.

 _Day 352. After the attempted attack, we were forced to use the incinerator. I have returned to find the containment empty except for a pool of blood. No signs of forced exit. Monitors reveal no information. The creature is gone._

In the end, the woman on reddit was right. The journal answered some of their questions about what the monster was, but it didn't tell them what they really wanted to know.

It didn't tell them how to kill it.

* * *

They arrived at the junkyard two hours before Alfred's tracking algorithm predicted the monster would arrive. Better safe than sorry, but it left them with a long, boring wait.

Alfred stood in the center of the cage, on hyper alert as he glanced in every direction. Toris sat waiting by one door and Natalia by the other, both ready to slam the doors shut and lock them at a moment's notice. As the only other one who could see the monster, Toris stood near the door that they expected the monster to use to get to Alfred. His chin-length brown hair trembled in the breeze. He looked pale, but determined.

For his part, Arthur kept on the lookout for anyone who _wasn't_ the monster. They didn't need a guard or curious onlooker ruining their plan.

They still hadn't figured out what to do with the cage after the creature was trapped, but that was a problem for another day. The only thing to do at the moment was watch and wait. Arthur had never realized what a dull job guarding was: staring at the same area, waiting for any movement or sign of life. After a while, he almost wished something would happen, just to relieve the monotony. He continuously checked his watch, surprised by how slowly time could pass. Seconds stretched into minutes, minutes to hours, and hours into lifetimes.

Even worse, waiting gave him time to worry. What if the cage wasn't strong enough? What if Toris and Natalia didn't shut their doors in time? What if they shut them too fast and Alfred was trapped in the cage? There were so many ways the plan could go wrong. Arthur shuddered and glanced down at his watch again. Seeing that it was almost time, he made his way back to the cage.

Arthur had nearly made it past the tires when heard the snap of metal breaking in half behind him. He whirled around to see Alfred following him. Arthur frowned, shocked that Alfred would abandon the plan at the last moment. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Alfred said nothing as he slowly drew closer.

Arthur took a few steps back, unnerved by Alfred's plodding, deliberate pace, so unlike his normal exuberance. He looked up into Alfred's face and soulless blue eyes stared back at him.

"Alfred?" he asked.

There was no response.

Either Alfred was playing the cruelest prank ever or... that wasn't Alfred.


	8. It Kills

Kicking up dust behind him, Arthur sprinted for the cage like his life depended on it.

"It's here!" he screamed, drawing surprised looks from Toris and the _real_ Alfred as he sped into view. At first they stared at him blankly, but a few moments later, their gazes shifted to the spot _behind_ Arthur and their expressions changed to wide-eyed shock.

"You said you didn't sleep with him!" Toris cried accusingly.

"I didn't!" Alfred protested. "Something's wrong!"

"Uh, guys?" Natalia looked back and forth.

Ignoring the shouts and clamor of confused voices, Arthur dashed through the open door and into the tiger cage. It was barely large enough to hold both him and Alfred. He tried to make room by pushing Alfred toward the exit.

With realization dawning in his eyes, Alfred refused to budge. "No! It's too dangerous."

"It wasn't when _you_ were the bait," Arthur retorted, his voice calmer than he expected even as his heart continued to pound in his chest. He met Alfred's frantic gaze with as much bravado as he could muster. "And it's the only plan we have."

Natalia frowned in confusion. "Guys? What's happening?"

"Oh, god. It's coming closer!" Toris replied, a tinge of hysteria in his voice.

His fingernails biting into the flesh of his palm, Arthur turned his head to the side. His nails drew blood as he watched the monster take another step closer. And then another. Only twenty feet left to go. He saw now what Alfred meant about the creature's deliberate speed. It wasn't fast, but he knew in his heart that it was never going to stop coming for him.

In the icy chill of his terror, Arthur took a deep breath and stiffened his upper lip. Determination in his eyes, he pressed his hand against Alfred's chest. "Stick with the plan."

Still giving Arthur a look of haunted fear, Alfred nodded and stepped back. He took Natalia's spot next to the other door and did the only thing he could: he waited for the monster to close the distance.

Time seemed to slow down as the three young men watched the figure move forward one slow step at a time.

Ten feet.

Looking into the creature's eyes, Arthur wondered how he could have ever mistaken it for Alfred for even one second. The monster's deadened gaze looked nothing like the mischievous sparkle that always brightened his soulmate's cornflower eyes. It was hideous. A dark, angry cavern. Like he was staring into the abyss of hell.

Five feet.

With his back pressed against the bars, Arthur tensed and prepared to sprint away as soon as the creature stepped into the cage. Once it walked in, Toris would close the first door. Then, when Arthur was safely out, Alfred would close the second, leaving the monster trapped in the center. Or so they hoped.

Arthur expected the creature to move toward Toris's door, since it was the closer one, but it instead continued walking straight toward him, not shifting from its path in the slightest. While he stared in shock, it reached for the bars standing between it and its prey. The creature grinned and bent them like they were made of playdough.

Toris screamed.

"Get out!" Alfred shrieked.

Arthur didn't need a second warning. He saw the creature's arm brush past him out of the corner of his eye as he turned and stumbled out of the cage. Breathing fast, Arthur picked up speed and didn't look back. He ran through the junkyard, leaping over the scraps of metal with speed born of desperation, Alfred close on his heels. The sounds of their pounding footsteps and panting breaths were the only noises he could hear.

When they reached the car, Alfred fumbled with the keys and dropped them into the dust.

"Hurry up!" Arthur cried. He glanced back and caught his breath when he saw that Toris and Natalia were the only ones running into view.

While Arthur kept watch behind them, Alfred scrambled to pick up the keys and quickly unlocked the car. "Get in!" he shouted as he started the car. The engine roared to life as Alfred gave it too much power.

Feeling a flash of déjà vu, Arthur leapt into the passenger's side. Moments later, Toris and Natalia climbed into the backseats. Alfred didn't even wait for them to shut their doors before he started to drive away.

"Jesus fuck!" Alfred swore, pressing down on the pedal and tearing out of the junkyard while the creature slowly ambled into view behind them.

"What just happened?" Natalia demanded. "Those bars bent like butter!"

"It's never going to stop," Toris whimpered to himself, turning to watch behind them as they lost sight of the creature on LA's busy streets. Fortunately for them, it wasn't particularly heavy traffic, or they would have been stuck in a traffic jam like sitting ducks.

Alfred glanced back and forth between Arthur and the road, giving Arthur worried glances every time he looked over at the passenger's seat. Ignoring him, Arthur stared straight ahead at the cars ahead of them and tried to _think_.

While Toris babbled and Natalia demanded answers, Alfred and Arthur sat in silence. From the shame and guilt on Alfred's face, it was easy to see that he was trying to figure out the right words to apologize, or perhaps he was just waiting until they were alone. As much as Arthur wanted to spend time apportioning blame (and surely the woman on reddit deserved most of it for knowingly spreading the curse to someone who would infect dozens more), Arthur knew that their first focus had to be survival. They couldn't trap it. They didn't have enough money to keep running. That left only one option.

"We need time," Arthur said quietly.

"What are you…?" Alfred's expression darkened when he caught the desperate look on Arthur's face. " _Oh_." He frowned and averted his gaze. "You sure?" he asked, his tone sounding very much like he wanted Arthur to say _no_.

"What other choice do we have?"

By this point Toris and Natalia had fallen silent in the backseat. Both clearly understood the subtext of the conversation because Arthur could see Toris giving him a sad, nonjudgmental look through the rear view mirror. "There's that cruising spot by the beach," the brunet suggested quietly.

Even though he looked like he wanted to throw up, Alfred drove them to the beach, breaking every posted speed limit on his way to get there. He parked at a distance and grabbed Arthur into a hug as soon as they stepped out of the car. "I'm so sorry," Alfred whispered into Arthur's ear. Wrapped tightly in Alfred's arms, Arthur felt his soulmate choke back a sob. "I only wanted to protect you and I didn't!"

"I know, love," Arthur murmured, leaning back so he could wipe the tears from Alfred's cheek. He felt a rush of anger at the woman from reddit, but his fury cooled as he reminded himself that he was about to take the same path. His life and his entire future with Alfred depended on finding some way to escape their shared nightmare. "We'll protect each other," he promised softly.

While Toris and Natalia watched in awkward silence, Arthur let go of Alfred and started to walk toward the seedy public shower rooms by the beach. Given the number of tanned, shirtless men who turned his way as he walked into the building, Arthur could see how the area had gotten its reputation for cottaging. He stared at the sand-coated floor and started to panic as he realized what he was planning to do. One of these men would _die_ just because they wanted casual sex. He would be just as bad as those evil people who had sex without telling their partners that they were HIV-positive. Could he do it?

Arthur froze with indecision as he heard the tell-tale moans from the handicap stall. Whose life was more important? His and Alfred's? Or theirs? Lost in thought, he jumped when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned around to find a man in his thirties watching him closely.

"Kicked out of your home?" the man asked with a sympathetic smile. He was handsome, in a fairly muscular way, but his smile didn't reach his eyes.

Arthur nodded. It was as good of an explanation as any, given his dirty clothes and desperate expression. Even better, if this man was what he thought he was… well, perhaps Arthur wouldn't feel quite so bad about signing his death warrant.

"I help kids like you find a place to sleep," the man offered.

"And… perhaps do _more_ than sleep?" Arthur replied, wondering how many gay runaways had fallen for the man's friendly lies.

The man laughed, clearly unperturbed that he had been outed as a pimp. "Not your first time to the rodeo. Well, give me a taste and I'll see if we can work out an arrangement."

Skin crawling, Arthur nodded. They went into one of the stalls together and the man unzipped his pants as Arthur knelt down. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the distasteful encounter with happy memories. He thought about his childhood home in England, with its warm, cozy rooms and the fairies who lived in the gardens. Arthur would even swear that he had seen a unicorn once, not that it would do him any good now. Thinking of the sweet, innocent unicorn reminded him of Alfred's sunny, cheery smile. He pushed those memories away as quickly as he could. It hurt to think about Alfred. This was all wrong. He was supposed to be making love to his new soulmate, not blowing some pimp in a seedy bathroom!

Arthur swallowed the cum and his painful emotions. He must have been successful at hiding his disgust, because the pimp certainly looked pleased with him. "Not bad. Not bad. Try not to cry, that always makes the johns unhappy." He gave Arthur another appraising look, along with a twenty and an address, in case Arthur needed somewhere to 'stay.'

Money was money, so Arthur took the bill and walked out of the restroom as quickly as he could. Although he managed a stoic expression for the first part of the shameful walk back, he was trying hard not to cry by the time he reached the car.

"Are you okay?" Alfred rushed up to meet him, hugging him again. One glance at the kind, loving, _guilty_ look on Alfred's face was enough to make Arthur burst into tears. Filled with fear and disgust at what he had just done, he let the taller blond pull him into the backseat and cradle him in his arms.

"My place next," Natalia explained as she drove away. "It's the furthest out."

The drive was a blur and the first thing Arthur did when they arrived at the Braginski's beach house was insist on taking a shower. It helped with the outward dirt, even as he wondered if his soul would ever be clean again.

It felt strange to sit with the others on the balcony outside the beach house and admire the beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean, even as he wondered if the creature was already headed toward him again. How much time did they have left? Assuming the pimp went back to his house and then died there, Alfred had calculated that they had about six hours. Despite the sophistication of his monster modeling software, even he admitted that there were too many variables to know for certain.

Even worse... what if the pimp slept with some poor runaway before the monster reached him? It would kill that person first. Arthur's actions might have caused the death of an entirely innocent person! He shuddered and, doing the only thing he could, hoped for the best.

Feeling on edge, Arthur glanced in all directions every few seconds. He could see Toris and Alfred keep a constant watch as well. Although Arthur felt a bit safer knowing that all three of them could spot the monster's approach, he also knew that it would be far more difficult when the sun finished setting, leaving them (and the monster) in darkness. He'd never been afraid of the dark before. Perhaps it was time to start.

As the sun's last rays turned the ocean a lovely shade of crimson, Arthur turned back to face the water. He tried to enjoy what was left of the evening sky, but the beauty of the view was ruined by his jittery nerves and the concrete mixer standing between the patio and the beach.

"It's for a pool," Natalia explained when she saw Arthur staring at the gaping hole in the ground.

He wasn't surprised that they had delayed construction after Ivan's death. Perhaps they would never finish it, leaving the hole and mixer there for a long time. Arthur blinked and stood up to give both a better look while everyone around him watched in confusion.

For the first time in the past few hours, Arthur started to smile.

He had an idea.


	9. It Bleeds

This must have been how soldiers felt between battles, Arthur thought as he listened to the crash of the waves in the distance and the rumble of the concrete mixer nearby. Like their entire lives had become seconds of heart-stopping terror followed by hours of sheer boredom. But even in boredom, none of them could escape the underlying tension and the ever-present fear that he was going to die soon.

After the rush of initial preparations—mixing the concrete, tying the rope, clearing obstacles around the house to give them a clear line of sight in all directions—they had plenty of time to chat while they waited.

Arthur sat in a deck chair at the center of the hole that was supposed to be a pool. A rope stretched from the far side of the pool to the balcony above him, giving him an escape route once the monster arrived. His head was barely above the level of the ground and he could see only a limited amount of the grassy area surrounding the beach house. He imagined that the isolation was lovely during the summer when Natalia and her family had the beach all to themselves, but under the current circumstances, it was incredibly unnerving to see the dark wilderness surround them on all sides.

Natalia spoke rarely and she hadn't offered much of an explanation for the secluded location. Arthur didn't really want to ask any questions; he had the sense that the Braginskys used the house when meeting with "associates" and that the concrete mixer was involved in more than just constructing a pool.

"Aren't your parents going to be upset about the pool?" Toris asked nervously, echoing Arthur's thoughts.

Natalia shook her head. "Not if we kill Ivan's murderer."

"Think they'll believe ya?" Alfred wondered, cocking his head to the side.

She shrugged and pursed her lips thoughtfully.

They lapsed into silence before Toris brought up the unspoken topic. "I still don't understand why it's following Arthur now."

The same thought had been plaguing Arthur ever since he had first spotted the creature. He didn't have an answer, but he did have some ideas. Still keeping his gaze on the horizons, he shared them with the group. "We know that it's related to the soulmate watches. What if being soulmates makes it easier to spread the curse?"

Alfred nodded. "It's the energy that powers them. It never stops, it always goes at the same pace, like a second hand. And it _knows_ stuff about you."

"The researcher didn't see it at first," Arthur added, digging up his memories about the research journal. Even though it had only been a few days, it already felt like a lifetime ago. "He… ingested some of the energy before he could see it."

"What does that mean?" Toris wondered.

"I don't know," Arthur admitted. "I suppose… it became part of him."

"Shit." Alfred looked sick. "What if part of it is inside _us_? Sex and stuff spreads it to other people and it wants the energy back?"

Arthur and Alfred shared an uncomfortable look as they pondered the possibility in silence. Turning his attention back to the surrounding dunes, Arthur gazed into the dark distance while he considered the idea. Lost in thought, he barely noticed time passing until a small movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eyes. He sprang to his feet and focused on the spot. A moment later, he breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was just a bunny.

"See something?" Alfred asked, tensing as he looked in the same direction.

"Just a rabbit."

"Oh, okay." Alfred kept staring at the bunny. "I'm pretty sure it can only look human."

" _Pretty_ sure?" Arthur demanded, a hint of panic in his voice.

"I don't know! I don't know anymore! I thought I knew how it worked but it turns out I _don't_ and now it's going after you!" Alfred cried angrily, his expression filled with guilt. The bunny scurried away in terror at the shout.

Even though he felt sorry for the scared animal, Arthur was relieved to see it go. "This isn't the time for a pity party," he snapped at Alfred. He felt his own rush of guilt a moment later. None of this was Alfred's fault. He was the one who had pushed for some hanky-panky in the tub, thinking that anything short of actual sex would keep them safe. They'd both been wrong, and if they weren't careful, they would both pay the price.

It was almost a relief when Alfred's ringing phone gave them a distraction from the tense atmosphere created by their snippy exchange. Alfred looked down at the screen and scrunched his eyebrows in surprise. "Hi, Mom," he answered. A moment later, his eyes widened in shock. "What? When?"

"Just now!" Amelia's voice filled the silence as Alfred turned on the speakerphone feature. "The officer wanted to talk with you about Ivan. He said there's been a similar death." She sounded worried. "Come home, sweetie. It's not safe out there."

"I know," Alfred replied sadly. "I'm at Natalia's and I can't leave right now. I'll come back as soon as I can." He took a depth breath and added, "Love you, Mom," before hanging up.

As they listened in on the conversation, the other three tensed and heightened their guard. If enough time had passed for the police to find the body and link it to Ivan's death, then the creature had plenty of time to come closer, even at its slow pace.

It was out there… and it was going to find him.

Arthur shivered. He wanted desperately to be able to stop worrying about every bump in the dark. The incessant fear wore on him; he couldn't imagine how Alfred had lasted for several months without passing it on or going crazy. He wished that he and Alfred could have some privacy to talk, but he couldn't risk sending Toris and Natalia away. They would need their help as soon as the monster appeared.

After another painful hour spent waiting in hyper-tense silence, the figure emerged from the dark dunes so smoothly and silently that it took Arthur and the others a moment to realize what was happening. He gasped, not believing his eyes. He had been expecting it to look like Alfred again, but it didn't. It looked like someone who should have been in prison. Arthur froze, wondering if the man had escaped somehow. No, no matter what it looked like, this was still the monster.

"It's here!" Toris announced to Natalia as both raced toward the concrete mixer and began pouring the fast-drying concrete into the hole.

"Get up on the chair!" Natalia shouted at Arthur.

Not taking his eyes off the monster, Arthur followed her instructions. The wet concrete filled the gaps around the chair, leaving him at the center of a pool of wet concrete. He was stranded except for the rope above his head, strung between the balcony and the far side of the pool.

The monster made its way slowly closer. Alfred frowned as he examined the creature. "Who is that?" he asked, unholstering his gun without taking his eyes off the monster.

"It's… my father," Arthur whispered.

Even though Alfred wasn't always the best on picking up on subtle cues, something in Arthur's voice must have made him realize that it was a bad time to ask any further questions.

The three of them that could see the monster watched it walk up to the edge of the pool.

Once there, it stopped moving.

"Damn it!" Alfred growled in frustration.

They were all taken aback a moment later as it walked slowly along the edge. It reached for a chair and lifted it off the ground.

Alfred was the first to realize what it planned to do. He ran forward and grabbed the chair, trying to stop the creature from throwing it at Arthur and knocking him into the wet concrete. He and the monster struggled until the chair went flying into the air, landing against the house with a shattering crack. Alfred fell back, falling to the ground with a hard thump. He looked dazed as he struggled to climb to his feet and find his gun.

In the flurry of excitement, Toris scooped up the other two chairs and ran away with them, moving them out of the creature's easy reach. Ignoring him, the creature walked toward the concrete mixer. Natalia gasped as she was flung out of the way by an invisible force.

A moment later, it tossed the mixer into the pool, making the concrete to rise above the level of Arthur's chair. He grabbed the rope above his head and pulled himself up until his feet were safely hovering over the rapidly-rising concrete.

Arthur kept his gaze on the monster and shuddered again to see his father's soulless eyes staring back at him. It was remarkable how much they looked like the real thing. They silently stared at each other and Arthur felt a wave of terror as he realized that the monster could wait longer than he could keep hanging onto the rope.

A shot rang out and the monster fell into the wet concrete. It flailed and then slowly managed to stand up. Coated in gray, it slowly walked through the ooze toward Arthur, leaving a trail of indented concrete in its wake. With a strength born of desperation, Arthur lifted his legs up and hooked them onto the rope. He inched his way up toward the balcony and prayed that he could move faster than it could.

For the first few moments, he thought he could make it. Then he felt the rope begin to shake and it took all of his strength just to hold on. A moment later, something grabbed his leg, its grip so tight he was certain that it would break his bones.

Arthur shrieked.

He heard another gunshot as he felt a sharp pain on the side of his leg. The monster let go of him and the rope, leaving him free to pull himself to freedom with every ounce of strength in his body. His hands had rope-burn and his arms felt as weak as noodles by the time he reached the balcony. Feeling light-headed, he lost his grip with one hand and nearly fell before strong arms grabbed him and pulled him up.

"I've got you!" Alfred yelled. A second later, Arthur was up and over the balcony railing. Going limp with relief, he collapsed into Alfred's embrace.

They both stared down at the pool. A human-shaped lump lay coated in gray halfway between the chair and the edge of the pool. Arthur could see splashes of blood nearby, turning the concrete a dark, crimson red.

"Is it dead?" he asked.

"I think so. It hasn't moved since I shot it," Alfred replied. He took Arthur's hand and squeezed it reassuringly in his own.

Below them, Toris helped Natalia to her feet. The two cautiously circled the pool, both keeping their eyes on the strange lump.

It started to move.

Arthur choked back a scream and tightened his grip on Alfred's hand. Pain throbbed in his leg as he inched backward. The pain nearly crippled him. He glanced down to see blood flowing freely from where the bullet had grazed his leg.

"I think it's working!" Alfred cried in excitement, oblivious to Arthur's wound.

Still feeling light-headed, Arthur turned his focus back to the pool. A gray blob of concrete in the shape of a hand reached up toward the sky. It slowed and stilled.

He wanted to watch with the others and make sure that the monster was truly trapped in the concrete, but it was hard to focus with the dark splotches filling his vision and the blood pounding in his ears. His last thought as he clung to the edge of consciousness was that the concrete hand sticking out of their pool would probably be enough to convince the Braginskys that it was real. He heard Alfred shouting his name, and then remembered nothing more.


	10. It Haunts

Bright white light filled Arthur's vision when he opened his eyes.

He blinked. As his eyes focused, he made out a halogen light in a white ceiling. There was a fuzziness in his brain that dimmed the pain, but made it hard to think. He closed his eyes. As much as he wanted to go back to sleep, a prickling sense of unease kept him awake. There was something he needed to remember, something terrible and frightening.

The monster!

Arthur's eyes popped open and he sat bolt upright. Breathing hard, he glanced around and saw that the room was completely empty. It smelled sterile and medicinal. Ah, he was in a hospital. That would explain the fog in his mind and the brace on his leg.

Still on alert, Arthur examined the empty hospital room. The door stood slightly ajar, allowing him to hear the sounds of footsteps in the hallway. The sound of shoes clicking against linoleum unnerved him in a way it never had before.

Had the monster escaped from the concrete? Was it coming after him? _Where was Alfred_?

Ignoring the throb of pain from his leg, Arthur swung his legs over the side of the bed. Holding on to the bed with one hand, he stepped onto the cold linoleum.

"Alfred?" he called as he awkwardly walked forward two steps and pulled back the curtain that separated his bed from the other half of the room. The other bed was empty.

Looking around again, he spotted a bag lying on a chair and moved closer. With any luck, there was a mobile he could use to call Alfred. Perhaps his soulmate had just wandered off to find food. Arthur rifled through the pockets and then tensed as he heard the sound of footsteps draw closer.

He spun around, heart pounding as he watched the door swing open to reveal a short policewoman with long brown hair, tanned skin, and serious eyes. She looked at the bed and then looked at him, a frown on her face as she walked closer. Could she be…?

Arthur instinctively backed away. "You're not a nurse," he said. His leg caught on the back of the chair and he winced in pain.

"No, I'm here to ask you some questions."

"Oh." Not it. Arthur took a deep breath and moved the bag off the chair. He sat down. It felt good to take the weight off his leg. He looked her up and down, regarding her cautiously now that she was close enough for him to make out the name on her badge. Lieutenant Chells. Screw her questions, he had some own of his to ask, starting with the most important. "Where's Alfred?"

"In custody," she replied curtly. She flipped open a notepad. "Why did he shoot you?"

"What?" Arthur couldn't believe that Alfred was in jail again. It took him a moment to process the second part of her question. He blinked at her, genuinely perplexed. He hadn't been shot… had he? Arthur frowned as he tried to piece together his memories of the fight with the creature. He remembered the monster gripping his leg, the second gunshot, and the pain. Oh. Alfred's gunshot must have grazed his leg. "He didn't shoot me!"

The policewoman gave him a sad, sympathetic look. "You can tell me what happened. We'll offer you whatever protection you need."

Good lord. She thought his own soulmate had attacked him. Arthur shook his head insistently. "Alfred wasn't shooting at me," he protested. "He was aiming for a man who was trying to kill me. He saved my life."

"…I see," she replied in disbelief. "And what did the man who attacked you look like?"

"Well…" Arthur frowned slightly, trying to come up with some explanation other than 'invisible demon.' It was hard to think with the painkillers fogging his wits. It didn't help that the disbelief on the policewoman's face increased the longer he paused. "I didn't see him very well. He came up behind me. All I remember is that… he was strong." Arthur shuddered as he remembered the monster's vicious grip on his leg.

She leaned forward. "I know it can be hard to admit that a loved one hurt you—"

"What are you fucking on about?" Arthur snapped, furious at her presumption. "Alfred is my _soulmate_. He wouldn't hurt me."

"—but lying to yourself won't make it go away." She shook her head sadly. "Trust me, I've seen it enough times to know that not every soulmate finds a fairy tale ending."

"I'm _not_ an abused soulmate."

She sighed and handed him a business card. "We won't make you press charges, but here's a number in case you ever change your mind."

"I won't!" Arthur snapped, glaring as she briskly left the room. This whole situation was absurd and infuriating. He returned his attention to the bag next to the chair and found Alfred's mobile inside. He punched in the security code (1-7-7-6) and saw that Alfred had a million missed calls from his mother, plus a few more recent texts from Toris and Natalia.

He opened the last one (from Natalia) and bit back a scream when he saw the attached photo of the monster's concrete-encrusted hand. The phone fell from Arthur's hands and clattered to the floor. After a moment of terror, he picked it up again and read the message.

 _Still there_ , she had written fifteen minutes ago.

Arthur grimaced. The image was both reassuring and unsettling. At least he could be grateful that the screen hadn't cracked when he dropped it on the linoleum. He gathered Alfred's belongings and decided it was time to figure out what he would need to do this time to bail out his soulmate. By the time he reached the door, shuffling on his injured leg, he could hear the sound of footsteps running toward him. That probably wasn't good, but at least it wasn't the monster.

Peeking his head out the door, Arthur had no time to react as a broad chest filled his vision and he was lifted off the ground in a tight hug. Recognizing Alfred's muscular arms immediately, he relaxed into the comforting warmth. He gave Alfred a gentle smile. "I thought the police arrested you?"

"They were asking a lot of questions, but they let me go when you woke up."

"I'm glad." Alfred rested his head against Arthur's chest and breathed deeply. "At least I don't have to bail you out this time."

Alfred smiled back. "You know, I didn't have so much trouble with the law 'til I met you."

"We should start over," Arthur proposed. "Pretend we met for the first time today. Pretend this other stuff never happened."

"Yeah, I like that idea." Alfred took some of Arthur's weight onto his shoulder and helped him down the hospital corridor. Arthur was surprised that their first stop was the men's restroom. He briefly wondered if Alfred wanted their first time to be in a handicap stall, but his question was quickly answered when Alfred handed him a set of clothes. "Let's start by pretending you were never here."

"Trying to escape the medical bills?" Arthur asked as he pulled on the dark red hoodie and the too-large pair of jeans that covered the brace on his leg. It sounded like a good idea to him, given that he'd likely lost his job due to his long absence and he was going to be evicted from his apartment if he didn't send in his rent soon. "Think it'll work?"

Alfred flushed and nodded. "Yeah, the hospital thinks your name is Davie Jones."

With Alfred acting as a human crutch, they left the hospital with none the wiser. By the time they reached the car, Arthur felt giddy and free. The monster was trapped and now their relationship could really begin. He leaned across the center console and kissed Alfred breathlessly. As their lips and tongues began an entrancing dance, he felt a pleasant warmth pool at the base of his spine. This was what he had always dreamed about when he imagined his soulmate.

Alfred gave him a dazed smile as they pulled apart. "So… wanna be proper soulmates and go to a nice restaurant before we… y'know." He blushed.

"I'm quite alright with skipping the restaurant."

"Yeah? Hold that thought!" Alfred replied with a grin. Treating the speed limits as guidelines, he drove up into a hilly area called Mulholland Drive. It was a leafy road with a beautiful view of Hollywood and downtown LA under the noonday sun. Given the seclusion and lovely views, Arthur quickly gathered that this was the local Lover's Lane.

They found a barren spot at the end of the cliff and parked the car. The view of the ocean and city below them was splendid, though Arthur spared it barely a glance. He swept papers and old junk food bags off faux leather seats and climbed into the back. Alfred followed a moment later, shutting the door loudly behind him. Within seconds they were ripping off each other's clothes like it was the end of the world and they only had a few minutes left to fuck. Young and burning with desire, they fogged the windows of the car in record time. Arthur's skin tingled with warmth and fire and passion. Lost in a blissful haze, he didn't even notice the pain from his leg. He moaned as Alfred gently pushed him down onto the seat and swallowed his cock.

"Nngh," Arthur breathed, burying his fingers into Alfred's golden locks.

Alfred glanced up flirtatiously, his eyes dark and shouldering behind his smeared lenses. It was almost too much for Arthur to take.

"Al…" he warned, breath hitching at the back of his throat. "Fuck me."

Arthur watched impatiently with half-lidded eyes as Alfred coated his fingers and his own cock in lube. In the cramped confines of the car's backseat, Arthur gently lifted his legs and wrapped them around Alfred's waist. The one in the brace twinged, but Arthur was too far gone to care. He no longer had a moist warmth around his cock and he desperately wanted something more. He arched back and his moans intensified when he felt the slick finger circling his sphincter. Although Arthur had fingered himself many times before, nothing could compare to the unexpected sensation of another's touch.

Two fingers then three left him seeing stars. Alfred panted above him as he pressed into Arthur, his chest glistening in sweaty, naked glory. His gasping mouth and flushed cheeks were enough to make Arthur dizzy and weak-kneed. "More, more!" Arthur begged.

"Oh god, yes!" Alfred cried as he thrust deep. Warmth spilled into Arthur's body at the same time it splattered across his chest. His orgasm crested over him like a tidal wave, pulling all conscious thought into the undertow. So _this_ was what being with his soulmate felt like. As if two halves were being made whole.

Far too soon, Alfred climbed off him and started pulling on his clothes. With his shirt back on his chest, he leaned over and gave Arthur a gentle kiss on the lips. "You're gorgeous."

Arthur blushed. "That's just the orgasm talking."

"Nope. It is a 100% scientifically proven fact."

"Done a lot of studies have you?" Arthur asked as he pulled on his oversized hoodie.

"Well, I'm continuing to gather data, but I feel pretty confident about this."

"God, you're such a dork." Arthur smiled affectionately. After two weeks of basically living on the run, he liked seeing Alfred able to relax and just be himself. This was the sort of care-free, light-hearted lovable idiot he could easily imagine spending the rest of his life with.

They returned to the front seats and took a leisurely drive back to Alfred's house. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Arthur felt more hopeful than ever about his future. His cheerful attitude lasted until they pulled into the driveway at the Jones residence.

The golden retriever ran out to the car, barking and growling the entire time. With his ears laid flat against his head, Dug bared his teeth and snarled at the car.

"Dug?" Alfred looked shocked. "What's wrong?"

"Uh oh," Arthur said as he glanced over at the front porch.

Amelia stood in the doorway, her arms crossed and a glare on her face. "Alfred Fitzgerald Jones! You are in so much trouble, young man."

* * *

 **[A/N: This is the closest this story will come to a happy ending. If you don't want to read the sad ending, I suggest you stop reading now!]**


	11. It Hides

_[WARNING: The deaths start this chapter and there will be more to come. If you want a happy story, stop reading. Chapter 10 is the happiest ending you'll get.]_

* * *

Arthur had never seen a grown man get pulled out of his car by his ear.

" _Mom_ ," Alfred protested, looking like a sad puppy as he let himself get dragged into the house.

"I stayed up all night waiting for you!" she shouted as they reached the porch. "And would it kill you to answer the phone!" she added, nearly pulling the front door off its hinges.

Stunned by the burst of anger, Arthur resolved then and there to never get on Amelia's bad side. He followed behind them into the clapboard house with a growling, snarling golden retriever nipping at his heels. He wasn't sure why the normally friendly dog had turned so angry, but he guessed it had something to do with Amelia's mood.

She sat Alfred down at the kitchen table and spent a moment just staring at him. Her expression softened; the thunderous anger fled as suddenly as an afternoon rain squall turning into sunshine. She leaned forward and hugged her son tightly. "Oh, Freddie. I can't lose you too. Please, you _promised_ me you wouldn't touch a gun after your father…" she choked back a sob and buried her head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Alfred whispered.

Feeling like he was intruding into something personal, Arthur shifted awkwardly in the kitchen doorway. He'd been expecting a long lecture, but somehow the sniffles seemed even worse. Thinking it best to give mother and son some privacy, he turned to leave only to find his way blocked by the growling retriever.

Dug's hair stood on edge as he bared his teeth.

"This is why I've always been a cat person," Arthur muttered. He tried to shoo the dog away with his hands. When that failed, he backed up as the dog advanced on him, snarling and nipping. "Geez, you don't have to take it so personally."

As the barking grew louder and Arthur started to panic, Alfred's head popped into the hallway.

"Dug! Bad dog!" he shouted. He shouldered Arthur to the side, grabbed the golden retriever by the collar, and pulled the whining dog into the backyard. "Be right back, babe!"

"Right." Arthur nodded. He stiffened slightly as Amelia came up behind him, but she made no move to grab his ear.

"Arthur, sweetie, what happened to your leg?" she asked in concern.

"Pool accident," he fibbed. "It's why we were so late getting back," he added, declining to mention the brief detour for sex. There were some things his future mother-in-law really didn't need to know.

She nodded, patted his shoulder, and urged him to get plenty of rest.

Seeing the wisdom in her suggestion, Arthur slowly made his way down the hall to Alfred's bedroom with one hand against the wall for support. Unsurprisingly, the bedroom was still as messy as the last time he had seen it (it wasn't as if Alfred had time to clean it recently), but he was too tired to care. Arthur plopped onto the bed and felt a wave of relief as he took the weight off his injured leg. After escaping the monster, the dog, and Amelia's wrath, he was ready for a well-deserved break. He closed his eyes.

He had almost drifted off to sleep by the time the dog's barks quieted down. Moments later, he heard Alfred pause in the doorway and then walk into the bedroom, trying to be quiet and failing miserably. Arthur's lips quirked upward. His soulmate had many fine qualities, but being light-footed was not among them.

Arthur opened his eyes to find Alfred silently watching him. Something in the young man's flat stare made him apprehensive. "Alfred?" he asked.

Without saying a word, Alfred closed the bedroom door behind him and sat down on the bed next to Arthur. He gently brushed his fingers through Arthur's hair and gave him a worried smile. "You don't look so hot."

"I'm just tired."

"Exhausted after only one round, old man?" Alfred teased, giving him an affectionate smile as he tucked a pillow beneath Arthur's injured leg. "Well, nap as long as you want. Ma's got me grounded for the next decade."

"What about the—"

"Natalia's on watch. You've got nothing to worry about," Alfred promised.

Not quite believing it, but too tired to do anything else, Arthur nodded and closed his eyes. He felt a gentle kiss on his forehead as he drifted into slumber. At first it was peaceful. Then the nightmares descended.

He was in a laboratory with machines he couldn't even begin to understand. There was a cage with lights for bars and a centrifuge that glowed with blue light. Desperate to escape, Arthur walked toward the doorway. With every step he took, he grew more certain that he had to find someone. The doorway opened automatically to reveal a beige hallway filled with industrial lighting. Arthur walked along the empty corridors, still looking for someone. He turned another corner and spotted an old man in a hospital gown walking away from him. As if drawn by Arthur's thoughts, the man turned around. No, he wasn't old. His hair was so blond it was nearly white; it stood up in wild, wispy spikes. The man's bloodshot eyes widened and he started to shout in terror. Arthur _wanted_ to reply. But the only thing he could do was keep moving slowly forward, closing in on the man. The shouts grew louder. "…thur! Arthur!"

He woke up to find Alfred shaking his shoulder, a worried look on his face. "It's okay, it's okay. You're safe," his soulmate murmured soothingly.

Arthur wished he could believe it. But there was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that this wasn't over. He didn't feel any better than he did before the nap.

"Was it about the monster?" Still holding him close, Alfred shifted until they were in a comfortable half-lounging position on the narrow twin bed. Even the toasty warmth wasn't enough to ease Arthur's sense of dread.

"I think so. I was in a corridor and there was a scary man." Arthur frowned, trying to remember the details even as they popped like iridescent bubbles in the breeze.

"Hmm." Alfred held him silently for few moments. "So… who's Gilbert?"

"Gilbert?"

"You were shouting his name."

Arthur blinked, surprised at the hint of jealousy in Alfred's tone. "I don't know any Gilberts. I… I don't know why I would have said that."

"Weird." Alfred frowned slightly. "It's not like we ever gave it a name."

"Perhaps it was something I read in the researcher's journal," Arthur mused. He reluctantly pulled away from Alfred and reclaimed the journal from Alfred's messy desk. Flipping to the end, he read the final entry again about the monster disappearing, leaving behind nothing but a pool of blood. It was the end of the journal, but not the end of the monster. Something must have happened afterwards, leaving the monster free to stalk for another nine years. Arthur desperately wished he knew more.

He set the journal back onto the desk and heard a soft thump as he knocked over a picture frame. Arthur returned the picture to its upright position. It was easy to recognize the blond-haired tyke with the bright, gap-toothed grin as Alfred. His mother stood on his left, her hair a bit darker in color and her smile more carefree. The man on the right wore army fatigues and glasses. He was handsome and young; he and Alfred shared the same toned musculature and strong chin.

"That was my dad," Alfred said, his voice as quiet and subdued as Arthur had ever heard.

Arthur noted the use of the past tense. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to him?" he asked, turning around to face Alfred even as he avoided looking him in the eyes.

"I don't mind. It was going to come up sooner or later." Alfred sighed. "He served in Iraq. He came back when I was nine. Afterward… he just wasn't the same." His gaze dropped to the floor. The tense silence hung over them like a guillotine. "He shot himself in the garage."

"Oh, god. I'm so sorry," Arthur murmured. He returned to the bed so he could wrap an arm around Alfred's shoulder.

"That's why Mom made me promise to never touch a gun."

Arthur wrapped his other arm around and pulled Alfred into a hug. It didn't feel like much, but it was the best he could. He held his soulmate close as he rubbed soothing circles into Alfred's back. "I understand her concerns, but for what it's worth, I'm glad you did. I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't."

"It was my fault it was chasing you. I should have walked away the minute we met."

"Don't say that. Do you know how heartbroken I would have been if you had done that?" Arthur leaned in and pressed his forehead against Alfred's forehead. He'd never felt like this with anyone else. There was a sense that whenever they were together, he was home. No matter what happened, he knew there was at least one person always on his side. "I'd rather have two weeks with you than a lifetime alone."

Within seconds Alfred was kissing him senseless and pushing his back onto the bed. It was only their second time and Alfred had already found the particularly sensitive spot on Arthur's neck. Softy moaning in pleasure, Arthur repaid the favor by slipping his hands under Alfred's shirt and ghosting them along the sensitive skin. He was in the middle of pulling the shirt off when their love-making was rudely interrupted by Alfred's ringing mobile.

"Ignore it," Arthur muttered as he captured Alfred's lips with his own. They kissed happily until the phone rang again. This time Alfred sighed and glanced over. His expression grew worried and he stumbled out of bed to grab the mobile. Arthur sighed. "This had better be important."

"It's Natalia." Alfred's eyes moved quickly back and forth reading the message. "Fuck. Her parents broke open the concrete."

"What?" Arthur bolted upright.

"They found a body."

"WHAT?!"

The two stared at each other in uncomprehending horror. Every trace of lust had fled Arthur's body to be replaced with heart-pounding terror. He glanced at the window and the door and wondered how long it would take the monster to reach them again.

While Arthur checked outside the window, Alfred's gaze returned to the phone and his frown deepened. "Her parents don't want to involve the police. They're going to dump the body."

"No!" Arthur shouted, surprising them both.

"Why not?"

"Because… it's important," Arthur replied, unsure how to explain his certainty that the body would lead them to the monster's origins. "You should contact the reddit girl again. Tell her we might have found Vash Zwingli."

"What are you…?" Alfred's eyes widened. "You think it's his body?"

"I—I'm not sure."

Still frowning, Alfred hesitantly picked up his phone and typed out a few messages. For a moment, Arthur's vision doubled as he saw a bluish aura pulsing around Alfred. He rubbed his tired eyes and the image was gone.

Alfred sighed. "They'll hide it tonight, but we've gotta get rid of it by tomorrow."

The rest of the day was spent in fruitless planning as Arthur re-read the journal looking for clues. He didn't feel like sex anymore, he wasn't hungry, and he couldn't sleep without fear of what might happen. The relentless fear felt so much worse after their shining moment of false freedom. He was starting to suspect that they would never be free of the demon.

They divided the night into shifts so they could each keep watch for half the night. Alfred went first, though he had to wake up Arthur several times as the nightmares continued to plague his dreams. It was almost a relief when it was Arthur's turn to guard. He finished packing his bag and then sat on the floor with his back against the wall halfway between the window on one side of the room and the door on the other, ready to jump up and wake Alfred at the slightest sound.

He wondered if this was how they were going to spend the rest of their lives. On the run, always watching and waiting. It was cold comfort, but at least once they saw the monster again they would be able to track it with Alfred's software.

Arthur checked his watch every few minutes, bored to tears as the night slowly passed. Around 5am the boredom and exhaustion caught up with him and he dozed off for a second. When he woke, Arthur glanced around the dimly-lit, silent room and flushed with embarrassment. He was lucky nothing had happened while he slept. To stay awake, he stood up and paced the room. Despite his injured leg, it felt good to move and stretch.

At 6am, Alfred's alarm rang. He yawned and stretched, giving Arthur a sweet good-morning kiss. Quietly and quickly, the two grabbed their packs and snuck out the back.

"Dug?" Alfred called as soon as he stepped into the backyard. He gasped and rushed over to the heap of golden fur next to the back fence. The dog didn't move.

Arthur walked behind, spinning around to make sure there wasn't anything following them. As he approached the dog's body, he gasped. Something had thrown the dog so hard that it had splintered a few of the fence's wooden boards.

"Oh, god." Alfred turned around to face Arthur with tears in his eyes. "It must have been here!"

"But… why didn't it attack us?"

"I don't know." Alfred gave his poor dog one final pet. Then he stood up and rubbed the tears out of his eyes. He gave Arthur a look of ferocious determination. "But we are going to find it. And we are going to _end_ it."


	12. It Survives

The petite blond woman who stepped out of the cream-colored rental van had the face of a twelve-year-old and the regal air of a queen. Holding her head high, she followed Arthur and Alfred to the other side of the four-stall garage and lifted up the white sheet to reveal the concrete-encrusted body. She examined it with a calm, appraising eye.

With one arm still sticking up, the body resembled Han Solo trapped in carbonite. A few areas had been chipped down to flesh and bone, while others were still covered in thick layers of concrete. The young woman stepped closer to the body. She leaned down to get a better look at the mouth, which was still open in a scream of terror. Putting on a rubber glove, she reached inside to examine the teeth.

Alfred flinched and looked away.

"You're taking this better than I expected," Arthur said.

She shrugged. "My brother died nine years ago. I've had my time to grieve."

They waited as she finished her quick examination.

"I'm taking it with me," she announced calmly, pulling back her hand and removing the glove. "I'll need to compare the dental records to know for certain."

Arthur stared, crossing his arms as he studied her calm demeanor and planned his next move; it was hard to think after his nearly sleepless night, but his instincts were goading him toward an idea. "If you take it, we're coming with you."

"We are?" Alfred asked, glancing at them in surprise.

"I think we have a right to whatever clues might be in Vash's laboratory."

The young woman gave him a sympathetic, pitying look. "Mr. Kirkland, I assure you, if there were a way to cure you, I would tell you. But there isn't."

"So you've done a lot of testing, then?"

" _Extensive_ research. It can't be killed, you know," she offered. "It's a being of pure energy."

"Yes, we do know." Arthur grit his teeth. " _Now_."

"I'm sor—"

"No," Arthur interrupted, "you haven't tried gathering all of its victims together to see if you could use the creature's natural attraction to extract it from us."

She blinked in surprise. A thoughtful look crossed her face. "Perhaps it is possible…" she murmured to herself, her voice steeped in uncertainty. She shook away her doubts and gave Arthur a sharp look. "You understand the creature's nature surprisingly well."

"Yeah, well we've had some trial and error after it killed Alfred's friend."

"I _am_ sorry. If you think there's any chance, I suppose it's the least I can do."

Arthur nodded. "I appreciate your help, Ms. Zwingli."

"Please, call me Lili."

It took half an hour to fetch Toris and Natalia, a bit longer to convince Toris that it was worth traveling with Lili to try to find a cure, and the strength of all five of them to load the concrete body into the back of the rental van. (Not that Arthur was much help with his injured leg.)

Arthur and Alfred grabbed their bags and climbed into the first row of seats, both uneasy from the proximity to the concrete body. Toris took the seat behind them while Natalia claimed shot-gun. Arthur wasn't entirely sure why she was coming along, but he tried not to argue with people who were fascinated by sharp-edged objects.

As they rumbled along the highway, Arthur dully noted that he had spent far too much time over the past two weeks stuck in a car. The only consolation was that they were moving too fast for the monster to catch them; unless, of course, the monster was inside the van _with_ them. He glanced back toward the body, relieved to see that it hadn't moved. His brilliant plan to bring all of the victims together suddenly didn't seem like such a good idea.

He shuddered and reached for Alfred's hand, only to discover that Alfred was using both hands to send a text. "Sorry. My mom is going to be _sooo_ pissed."

Arthur frowned. "What did you tell her?"

"That we'd be gone a couple weeks to meet your family."

"You'd better hope she doesn't look up my father."

"Why?" Alfred put away his phone and took Arthur's hand.

Arthur took a deep breath. "Well… to start with, he's in prison." He glanced meaningfully at the other three people in the van who were all politely pretending not to listen. "It's a long story."

They had nearly reached the private airport by the time Natalia broke the silence. "How are you going to get that on a plane?" she asked, gesturing toward the body.

Lili shrugged. "I'll tell them it's an expensive piece of modern art. If you're wealthy enough, you can pay people to ignore almost anything."

Her words proved shockingly accurate. The airport employees wrapped the concrete into plastic and loaded it into the private jet without a single raised eyebrow. For his part, Arthur arched both eyebrows when he saw the inside of the jet.

Two sets of white leather couches faced inward. Silver and gold lamé pillows accented each end. Between the two couches a black coffee table was bolted to the plush, carpeted floor. At the center of the table was inlaid a silver clock.

Arthur blinked, dazzled by the opulence. The Zwingli family had made a handsome fortune from their soulmate watches, and it showed in every aspect of the gleaming jet.

He sat down on the far end of the couch, pushing the pillows out of his way, and watched as the others streamed in with equally surprised looks on their faces. Toris and Natalia took the other couch while Natalia nodded approvingly at the pristine décor. While they settled in, Lili had a quick word with the pilot. She then pressed a button on a sleek side-panel which quickly produced a piping hot cup of coffee.

The jet moved so smoothly that, at first, it was hard to tell it had moved at all. It cut through the air like silk during take-off, and not a drop of coffee spilled from Lili's cup.

"You know… a private jet would have been pretty damn useful when we were trying to escape it," Alfred complained from his seat next to Arthur.

"Yes, it's quite helpful until the creature climbs into the jet and kills the person during take-off." Lili took another sip of coffee. "Have you ever seen the way a person screams when they're trapped 12,000 meters above the ground with nowhere to run?" Something in the way she asked the question made Arthur suspect that she was speaking from personal experience.

It had been nine years since the monster first began its rampage. He wondered how many of its victims she had helped after Vash died. Surely the first few had been friends of Vash, or at least acquaintances. He wondered how many people she had seen die over the years, slaughtered by a creature that her brother had created.

Arthur had been so trapped in feeling sorry for his own terrible situation that it took him by surprise when he felt a swell of pity for the wealthy heiress. They had all made terrible bargains; perhaps pulling away when they pain got to be too much was hers. He glanced at Toris out of the corner of his eye. How terrible would it feel to know that you had given the disease to a loved one and then, out of cowardice, passed it on to a friend? He looked next at Natalia. It would be equally awful to watch your brother die and know there was nothing you could do.

He didn't have the courage to look at Alfred, who bore the worst burden of all of them. Poor Alfred. He took on the curse out of kindness and ended up dooming himself and his soulmate. Arthur didn't know how he would deal with the guilt if their roles were reversed.

Sad and tired, he yawned and rested his head on Alfred's very comfortable shoulder. For a brief moment, he felt warm and secure.

"…ur, Earth to Arthur!" a voice called, pulling him back into the present. He found Alfred smiling at him and waving a hand in front of his face. "Dude, you gotta look outside."

Arthur turned around to face the tiny window behind the couch and gaped at the view. Snow-peaked mountains spread out below him as far as the eye could see. Bright blue skies overhead complimented the white slopes below. The mountains drew closer as the plane began to descend.

They landed in a lush green valley with white-capped mountains surrounding them on all sides. Streams of snowmelt cascaded into a lake at the center of the valley.

"My grandfather said that it reminded him of home," Lili explained as she led them to a Swiss-style chalet. Constructed of wood, it was several-stories tall with a steeply-angled roof. The windows and balconies were trimmed in white and had window boxes filled with flowers. It didn't _look_ as expensive as the personal jet, but Arthur guessed that it probably was.

Recognizing their concerns about safety, Lili explained that the concrete body would be kept in a double-steel plated room for further testing. She noted that all of the guest bedrooms had locks and shatter-proof glass. Arthur could see the others start to relax.

"Plus, we've got at least twelve days before it could get here anyway," Alfred added, showing the tracking program on his phone. "It was in LA last night."

A sad look crossed the young man's face. Arthur reached for his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. After a moment of silence for Dug, they resumed walking. He used Alfred as a crutch as they made their way up the hill toward the house. The inside was decorated like a ski lodge, with plenty of wooden beams, antique furniture, and understated elegance. At least, that was the common theme of the furnishings until they reached the basement. The stone basement looked like a science lab with its long hallways, industrial lighting, and sterile white walls. Arthur felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he looked around. He shook his head, telling himself that the building just reminded him of his earlier hospital stay.

When they reached the end of the hallway, Lili knocked on steel door with a slit window, "Gilbert? How are you feeling today?" she called. "I brought some visitors."

The door slowly opened to reveal a white-haired man with red eyes and a pale face. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of Arthur, Alfred, Toris, and Natalia standing awkwardly in the hallway. "Say something!" he demanded in a harsh accent.

"Whoa, cool eyes," Alfred offered with a little wave. "Are you albino?"

Arthur shushed him. "Alfred, don't be rude."

"Don't worry, we're aren't _it_ ," Toris said gently.

"I still think we killed it," Natalia added.

Gilbert relaxed and nodded warily. He turned to look at Lili. "So why are they here?"

"They're the ones who found Vash's body and they had an idea for a possible cure."

It was almost painful to see the way Gilbert's eyes lit up with hope. Arthur had no idea if his idea would work, it just felt very important to bring all of the victims together.

Alfred pursed his lips as they returned upstairs. "Gilbert, huh. I guess you were right, his name must have been in the journal."

"Yes, I suppose so," Arthur replied, even though he really didn't remember the name Gilbert appearing in it. Perhaps his subconscious had clued on to something that his waking brain did not yet understand. Or perhaps... he tried not to let his doubts overtake him as they settled into the living room with hot cocoa (Swiss Miss, of course).

"Liz and Feliks are flying over," Lili explained from her comfortable seat by the fireplace. "It should be another seven hours."

Arthur nodded and yawned again. He was tempted to use the time for sleep, but he also knew that he had more important questions to ask. They finally had a chance to learn why Vash's efforts to destroy his research were unsuccessful.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it," he began delicately. "But the research journal made it sound like Vash had killed the monster. What happened?"

Lili sighed. "I was only twelve at the time, but I remember that Vash was so happy to have met Gilbert. Not outwardly effusive like some people, but if you knew him, you could tell that he was really pleased. He was showing Gilbert the labs when it attacked them."

"We used the incinerator," Gilbert offered as soon as she trailed off. "And then… for two weeks, nothing." He suddenly grinned. "I mean, other than awesome sex."

Lili blushed. "I thought that was why Vash was tired at first. I saw him walking around the chalet at night a few times. It was almost like he was sleepwalking."

"And then he attacked me."

"No, it wasn't _him_ ," Lili insisted. "It was something I couldn't see."

"You think the creature took over his body?" Arthur suggested.

"Part of the creature was already in him," Lili corrected. "When the vessel dies, the energy flows back to the nearest container. There's some of it in all of you. That's what it wants. If it kills you, it gets the energy back."

"What happens if it kills all of us?" Toris asked hesitantly.

"I think…" she paused and gestured to the soulmate watch on her wrist. "It operates like the watch does. It knows who the match is and it's always going slowly and steadily closer to that person. Once it gets there... I think it would be like watches falling off."

"The power of soulmate watches comes from them being apart?" Alfred wondered.

"Exactly!" Lili nodded. "Please don't tell anyone the family secret."

Arthur struggled to stay awake as the discussion turned to soulmate watches. It turned out that he and Alfred were the only ones with a 'normal' soulmate watch experience, not that it had done them much good. Toris had lost his when he was two, signifying that the poor boy's soulmate had died, probably in the womb. Natalia didn't have one because her family didn't believe in buying them until the children were 21. They thought there was something distasteful about two soulmates meeting as young children, especially if there was a big age difference. And Lili's watch hadn't started ticking. Arthur suspected that was at least part of the reason why her brother had begun his extensive research into the watches' inner workings. He wanted to help his sister find her match. It was sad that such sweet motivations had such disastrous consequences.

Words filtered in and out of Arthur's ears as he drifted in a half-conscious daze. The room seemed to lose its color at one point and he couldn't understand why there were three points of light, with the brightest one sitting next to him.

"You ready to go to bed, hun?" Alfred asked gently.

Arthur blinked and nodded as the room returned to its normal colors.

"Sorry, he's still recovering from being in the hospital two days ago," he heard Alfred explain as his soulmate helped him walk to the nearest guest bedroom. Arthur fell face-first into the plush mattress and remembered nothing more.

He woke to an empty bed and the sounds of cooking in the kitchen.

Yawning and stretching after another less-than-restful night, Arthur followed the sounds and smell of bacon down a wooden hallway and into a combination kitchen and dining room with full-window views of the lake and mountains. He smiled. Not even the lake looked as lovely as the sight of Alfred frying up a pan of bacon. A woman with long brown hair stood next to him. She expertly flipped an omelet in one pan before scrambling the eggs in another.

Toris, Natalia, and Lili chatted animatedly at the breakfast table, each nursing a cup of coffee or tea. Everyone looked like they were having a cheerful morning on a college ski trip.

As he carried the bacon to the table, Alfred spotted Arthur and gave him a bright grin. "Hey! 'bout time you got up, sleepyhead. Breakfast is almost ready." He held out the pan with one arm and leaned in to give Arthur a kiss.

"Someone should wake up Feliks," the woman said. She placed the scrambled eggs at the table and then swatted Gilbert's hand with a wooden spoon as he reached for them. "No! No food 'til you get Feliks."

"Fine," Gilbert grumbled. He pushed back his chair and stomped down the hallway.

"Lili, do you really think your idea will work?" Liz asked as she scooped half of the omelet and a few slices of bacon onto her plate.

The young woman nodded. "I've spent years thinking about how I could get rid of it. Not just to avenge Vash, but to make sure it doesn't hurt anyone else. But I… I never realized how short the line back to Gilbert was." She glanced around the table, meeting the gaze of all four of the monster's victims with a sad, thoughtful look. She caught Arthur's eyes last. He stood frozen at the edge of the kitchen. There was something knowing in her gaze, but the moment passed too quickly for him to decipher the meaning.

Shrugging off his unease, Arthur made himself a cup of tea with a very expensive expresso machine, then sat down and nibbled on a slice of thick, perfectly fried bacon.

As the caffeine from the tea filtered into his brain, he began to add together the clues they had received from Lili. If the past was any guide, the monster would find a new host and begin anew its plodding rampage. Unfortunately, he was starting to suspect who that host would be. He glanced over at Alfred and wondered how he would break the news.

Alfred returned his glance with a happy, bacon-filled smile.

"Don't chew with your mouth open," Arthur muttered, even as he felt his heart thud uncomfortably in his chest. He didn't know what to do.

The morning calm was shattered as they heard Gilbert shriek in terror.

"It killed him! It killed him!" he cried, racing back into the kitchen like the hounds of hell were on his heels. Trembling, he stood at the center of the room and spun in a slow circle. "Where is it?" he muttered to himself, his face even paler than normal.

Elizabeta rolled her eyes and grabbed a frying pan. "You're not the next in line, Gil," she snapped.

"Neither was Feliks," Toris pointed out.

"Maybe Gil got it wrong?" Liz suggested. She strode to the edge of the kitchen and glanced down the hallway. "I don't see anything."

Leaving Gilbert behind with Lili and Natalia, the rest of the group cautiously advanced on the guest bedroom.

Inside, a suitcase lay at the base of the bed with frilly, colorful clothes strewn in all directions. Despite the rumpled sheets, there was no one on the bed. Arthur's gaze moved to the floor and he finally noticed the body crumpled next to the closet. If it weren't for the dent in the closet door, he would have thought that the blond man had decided to take a nap on the floor.

Liz knelt next to the motionless body and checked for a pulse. "Oh my god. Gil was _right_."

"Maybe it wasn't the monster?" Alfred suggested. "I mean, that's not what Ivan's body looked like after… after he was…"

"You think there's something else going around randomly killing us?" Liz snapped.

"Or what if…" Toris began to tremble. "What if destroying the body made it invisible to _everyone_?"

They all shared a horrified glance.

"We need to get out of here," Alfred said. He grabbed Arthur's hand and helped him move quickly to the front door despite his injured leg. Toris and Elizabeta hurried behind, only to discover that the front door wouldn't open. No matter how hard they pushed and pulled, the stubborn door wouldn't budge.

They returned to the kitchen, where Gilbert was still standing by himself, spinning around so he could keep watch in all directions. The full-length windows with the beautiful view of the lake and mountains had been covered up with a solid, steel-gray wall.

"She left," Gilbert spoke with a half-crazed chuckle. "Said we've killed too many already. Ending it here and now!"

"Lili, you bitch!" Liz growled. She ran toward the steel plates that covered the windows and smashed her frying pan against them. "You goddamn fucking bitch!" she screamed.

"Hey, hey!" Alfred shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. He lowered his voice when Liz finally stopped beating the wall with a frying pan. "We're not dead yet, okay? We've still got the labs and stuff. We can find a way to solve this."

Toris nodded hesitantly. "That's right. We have to work together."

"Hah!" Gilbert snorted and started to walk away, still twisting his head in all directions like a paranoid spy.

"Where are you going?" Elizabeta demanded.

"Pfft. Talk about that science shit all you want," he called, his voice echoing down the hallway. "I'm getting a gun."


	13. It Ends

"Uhh… should we be worried?" Alfred asked as they watched Gilbert walk away in search of a firearm.

Elizabeta gave him a disbelieving look. "Let's see, we've all been infected by a supernatural STD, we're trapped in a steel cage with a homicidal demon who may or may not be invisible, _and_ a half-crazed lunatic who has spent the past nine years living in the basement wants a gun. On a scale of one to ten, I'd say you should be pretty damn fucking worried."

Alfred blinked. "So… that's like an eleven?"

"Come on, stop trying to quantify our concerns," Arthur suggested, tugging on Alfred's arm. "Let's see if there's anything you can use in the basement." If they also had time for a private chat, that would be all for the better.

"Wait, let me check my phone first," Alfred suggested. He was gone for just a minute and returned with a frown, explaining that he still didn't have any service. With one arm wrapped around Arthur's waist to support his fractured ankle, they headed towards the stairs to search the laboratories in the basement. "You two comin'?" Alfred asked.

Toris scampered behind, but Elizabeta just shook her head. "No, I'd better go talk to Gil before he does anything stupid." She paused. "Well, _stupider_."

"Need help?" Alfred asked in concern.

She smirked and unbuttoned the top of her shirt. "Don't worry about me."

"You heard the lady," Arthur said, nudging Alfred to keep walking down the stairs, despite the lad's obvious hesitation. He knew that everyone had their own agenda with survival as a top priority, so the less time they spent near Liz and Gil, the better.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Arthur led them down a hallway on their right and to the second door on the left. He opened the door and shuddered. At the center of the room stood a cage with blue lights for bars, sending a chill down his spine. He watched silently as Alfred and Toris locked the door and started searching the room for anything useful. Fortunately for him, neither seemed to question how he knew the way.

Alfred whistled when he opened the cabinets. He began paging through research journals that bore an uncanny resemblance to the one they had seen earlier. "Nine years' worth of journals about her attempts to treat Gilbert," he called out, laying them on the counter for further reading.

Toris found a gun in one of the drawers and held it from his fingers with a look of disgust like it was a dead rat. "Who keeps a gun in their lab?"

"Someone who really likes guns," Arthur replied, eyeing the handgun with interest.

While Alfred and Toris continued to prod the various lab equipment, Arthur checked the side rooms. One was just a storage closet. The second was a bathroom, which was a bit of a relief. The third and final door led him to a bank of monitors. Most showed other lab rooms, but a few cameras were positioned in the hallway, including the one closet to the stairs.

Arthur examined the various feeds and discovered that the basement was much larger than he expected. Given the secluded location, he concluded that this was where Vash (and later Lili) did the research they wanted no one to know about. He wasn't quite sure what crime the police would charge you with for creating an invisible, murderous demon, but he was pretty sure it had to be a felony of some sort. Not that it really mattered much at this point because even if no one believed them about the creature, certainly imprisoning people in a ski chalet had to be a crime.

As he searched the monitors for any hint of movement, he could hear Toris and Alfred whispering in the other room. Alfred's whispers quickly growing louder and more agitated.

"Is something wrong?" Arthur called. He peeked his head back into the main laboratory.

Toris flushed guiltily and returned to checking the rest of the file cabinets.

"No, everything's fine!" Alfred insisted, although his upset tone suggested otherwise. "We just need to figure something out," he said, paging through the journals as he avoided Arthur's gaze.

Arthur hobbled over and took him by the elbow. "Let me show you the security cameras," he said, guiding Alfred toward the other room. Alfred followed him like a forlorn puppy.

Once the door was securely shut behind them, Arthur took a deep breath. He couldn't keep putting Alfred at risk if what he feared was correct, but on the other hand, he didn't want Alfred to freak out over vague feelings and strange premonitions when he wasn't entirely sure himself. He sighed. There was no easy way to say it, so he had to just spit it out. "You know what Lili said, about the monster finding a new host?"

Alfred bit his lip. "Yeah?"

"I think I'm… it's… it's _me_ ," Arthur whispered.

"No!" Alfred shook his head stubbornly. "It _can't_ be you. I've been with you the past two nights, remember? You didn't attack me, and I'm the next target."

Arthur had been pondering that question himself and had made a few uncomfortable realizations. The monster couldn't overcome his resistance to attacking his soulmate, but how hard would it be to control his body to attack an annoying dog or a man he didn't know? And how long would it be before it whittled away enough of his spirit that he _could_ hurt Alfred?

The thought terrified him. It was bad enough thinking that his soulmate was being stalked by a horrendous creature. It was even worse to realize that _he_ might become the stalker if he didn't find another solution and fast.

"I don't think it happens right away," Arthur murmured.

"Then we have time. I'll find a cure, I swear. I'm going to make this better."

As much as he wanted to believe him, Arthur just wasn't sure if it was possible.

He spent the rest of the day dealing with a growing weariness that hinted at deeper problems. While Arthur worried and pondered, Alfred and Toris spent their time reading through the research journals. Between the three of them, they reached no conclusions. Stomachs grumbling, they eventually joined Elizabeta and Gilbert for an awkward dinner. It didn't help that both of them insisted on wearing guns to dinner.

"You wouldn't believe Vash's gun collection," Gilbert explained with a smirk. "We met at a rifle convention."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Boys and their toys."

"You were Vash's soulmate?" Toris asked softly.

Gilbert nodded, a surprisingly gentle look on his face. "I know you probably hate him, but he was a cool guy. Didn't talk about his emotions much, but you could tell when he cared about someone. He used to wear a pink nightie just cuz Lili sewed it for him."

"How can you talk about her so nicely?" Elizabeta demanded. "That fucking bitch set us up."

"From her view, she's killing five people to end the creature's threat forever," Arthur retorted. "How many people have _you_ killed just to save your own skin?"

Liz dropped her gaze and lost her righteous tone. "Feliks wasn't the first," she admitted. "But I can't let it kill me. I still have thirty years before I meet my soulmate."

"And then what are you going to do? Give it to him the same way you've spread it to prostitutes around the world?" Arthur demanded, angry that she would put her own self-interests above the lives of so many innocents. "I'll give you one piece of advice: don't skinny dip in a hot tub. Apparently the curse spreads the same way good Christian virgins lie about getting pregnant."

"You guys haven't even had _sex_?" Gilbert asked incredulously. "Dude, that sucks."

At the far end of the table, Toris ducked his head and looked like he was trying to die of embarrassment. Alfred nearly choked on the slice of pizza he was stuffing into his mouth. Elizabeta, by contrast, leaned in with an intrigued expression.

"You should totally get some," Gil suggested. "I never regretted that we spent our last night fucking like bunny rabbits."

"Must you be so crass?" Liz complained.

"You're just bitter about what happened afterward."

"Yes, well, agreeing to pity sex based on your sob story about your soulmate dying in a car accident isn't the same as agreeing to become a demon's next target."

"To be fair, you've had a way easier time passing it on."

She threw down her fork. "Are you calling me a whore?"

"No, no! I'm saying you're hot. Geez, learn to take a compliment."

"Uh, thanks for making dinner, guys," Alfred interrupted awkwardly, desperate to leave the table as soon as he had cleared his plate. Arthur couldn't blame him. He excused himself from the table and hobbled over to the dishwasher with his own half-eaten plate. Holding on to Alfred's arm, they made a hasty retreat.

"Have fun making the beast with two backs!" he heard Gilbert call behind them, followed almost immediately by a slap.

Arthur pretended not to hear it, although he certainly wasn't opposed to the idea. With as little time as they had left, he was grateful for every intimate moment.

Alfred seemed to have the same idea. In the privacy of their bedroom, he pulled Arthur into a hug and fell with him onto the bed. "How you feelin', sunshine?" he asked as he ran his fingers through Arthur's messy locks.

"I've been better," Arthur admitted.

"Yeah." Alfred rolled onto his back and lay next to Arthur on the bed, still holding his hand tightly. "We shoulda just kept driving. We coulda robbed a few banks to pay our way and went out in a blaze of glory, Bonnie-and-Clyde style."

"Or we might have died in prison after a guard accidentally let the monster into our cell."

"True." Alfred sighed.

"I'm sorry for suggesting we all come here," Arthur whispered as he rolled onto his side. He reached out to stroke Alfred's cheek. "And I'm sorry about Dug."

"Hey." Alfred rested his hand on top of Arthur's. "You didn't kill him."

"But I—"

Alfred silenced him with a kiss. His lips moved softly and sweetly, unlike the rushed pace of their first time in the car. Even in the midst of hell, it tasted like a little piece of heaven.

Arthur sighed as they pulled apart and lay there blinking happily while Alfred went to fetch something from his bag. "Protection and protection of another sort," he explained as he set lube, condoms, and a gun on the bedside table.

"I don't think condoms protect against demons," Arthur replied with a sad smile. He was pleased and a little amused that Alfred had thought to bring along lube.

"Nah. I just don't want to deal with the cleanup." Alfred crawled back into bed and leaned in for a kiss that deepened, sending tingles to the tips of Arthur's toes.

Responding eagerly, Arthur ghosted his hands along Alfred's body. Rolling on top of Alfred, he explored and gently teased as he found every spot that drew a breathless moan from his lover's mouth. They undressed slowly. Alfred's shirt was the first to go. Even as Alfred urged him on, Arthur took his sweet time. He wanted to savor every moment. Achingly slowly, Arthur pressed feather-light kisses along Alfred's neck, moving down along his collar bone and then putting the lad's excited nipples between his lips. The way Alfred gasped and moaned was positively sinful.

"Unnh, _Arthur_!" Alfred begged, moaning with need. Behind his smudged glasses, dark eyelashes fluttered against flushed cheeks.

Not to be hurried, Arthur moved backward on the bed and tugged off Alfred's pants and boxers. He nibbled playfully on the sensitive underside of Alfred's knee. Lifting the legs, he peppered kisses along Alfred's thighs.

Breathless moans filled the room. Arthur hoped that the walls were soundproof as he pulled down his pants and threw off his jumper, leaving them both beautifully naked. For a moment, he paused to admire Alfred's body, soaking in the well-defined muscles and tanned skin. But he also loved the hint of pudge near Alfred's tummy. He was perfect from his head to his toes. Arthur wanted him. All of him. For as long as he could have him.

Though Arthur was too much of a gentlemen to let his leaking erection set the pace, it was obvious that his lover was growing impatient. "Hurry up already!" Alfred demanded. He tossed a pillow at Arthur. The lube and condom followed a moment later.

Pleased with his ability to turn Alfred into a hot writhing mess, Arthur decided it was time to finally reward his lover's persistence. He slipped the pillow under Alfred's back and gently coaxed a slick finger into his body. The lad arched and gasped.

"Relax for me, dearheart," Arthur whispered. He caught Alfred's eyes shining back at him, filled with such love and affection that it stole his breath away.

With lube and patience, Arthur finished his preparations. He moved in Alfred as gently as he could. The pained look on his lover's face melted away into ecstasy. Arthur gasped himself. He'd pleasured himself plenty of times, but nothing could compare to the sweet bliss of connecting deeply with someone who trusted and loved him.

It wasn't the heady rush of their first time, but the sweet and tender lovemaking filled Arthur's body with an all-consuming bliss he had never felt before. Pleasure swept through his body in a breathtaking orgasm. He collapsed on the bed next to Alfred. Tears prickled in his eyes and he lay wrapped in Alfred's arms. "I love you," Arthur whispered, hoping that his lover was still awake to hear him.

Alfred blinked and gave him a sleepy smile. "I love you, too."

In one moment he was happy and drowsy after a round of wonderful sex. In the next moment, Arthur woke up to the shearing shock of pain splintering his shoulder. He didn't understand what was happening. Even though he _should_ have been in a bed, his back was pressed against the wooden hallway floor. Above him, he could see Gilbert pointing a gun at him. Arthur froze in terror as he saw the crazed expression on the other man's face.

The sound of a gunshot deafened him.

Arthur scrunched into a ball and hoped that Gilbert was a bad aim, not that it would matter much at this range. His life flashed before his eyes. The cottage where his grandparents lived. His little brother smiling and laughing. Alfred kissing him. After a few heartbeats, his shoulder still hurt, but Arthur didn't feel anything else. Did it take this long to die?

Realizing that he _wasn't_ dead, Arthur slowly opened his eyes. Gilbert lay collapsed in front of him. Higher on the wall there was a splatter of blood, showing where chunks of Gilbert's brains had blown out of his head. And there, just off to the side, was Alfred, holding a gun in his hand and wearing a determined expression on his face.

Arthur rolled onto his side and dry heaved. He wanted to crawl to his feet, but his body wouldn't move. He heard the sound of doors opening and then screaming.

"What did you do?" Elizabeta shrieked.

Alfred blocked her path. "He tried to kill Arthur!"

"He was trying to kill the _monster_!"

"Arthur is _not_ the monster," Alfred said in a low, dangerous voice. He raised his gun and pointed it directly at her face.

Elizabeta froze.

In the tense silence, Arthur managed to crawl to his feet, using the wall as support. He could feel the blood running down his arm and staining the wooden walls. "She isn't the enemy," Arthur reminded him as he stepped behind Alfred's back and gently rested one hand on Alfred's arm. He felt Alfred begin to relax and slowly pushed the gun down until it was pointed at the floor.

"She is right though," Toris said quietly, watching them from his bedroom doorway.

"I know the monster is inside of me," Arthur admitted. He felt Alfred tense up again. Before he could deny it again, Arthur quickly continued, "But killing me won't solve the problem. It'll just find a new host."

Liz dropped her gaze. "Poor Gilbert," she murmured as she dropped down to examine the body.

They stood in the dark silence and Arthur knew that no one was going back to sleep that night. He retreated with Alfred to the bathroom and let Alfred bandage his wound. It throbbed painfully and the strongest medication on hand was nothing more than advil.

"If she was gonna trap us in here with homicidal maniacs she coulda at least given us some first aid kits," Alfred griped while he finished tying Arthur's arm into a make-shift sling.

Arthur shook his head. "I think letting us die was part of the plan."

"Why?" Alfred demanded angrily, tears welling at the corner of his eyes. "I thought we killed it! Why can't it just fucking die?"

"I don't know." A sob escaped from Arthur's throat. "I don't want to die!"

He curled up into Alfred's arms and sobbed his heart out. He'd been humoring Alfred in his suggestions of finding a cure, but if nine years of research wasn't enough time, he didn't see how they were going to manage in two weeks. The truth was, he was doomed, and the only consolation he could find was that no one else would die. It proved cold comfort.

When he ran out of tears, Arthur looked into Alfred's hopeless eyes. His heart broke anew. Even if all hope was futile, he couldn't bear to see that despairing and resigned look on Alfred's face. Arthur lifted his uninjured arm to cup Alfred's chin. "We're going to avenge Dug," he promised. "It dies with us. No one else will get hurt."

Alfred bit his lip and nodded. "That makes us heroes, right?"

"Of course. A heroic sacrifice is still heroic."

It wasn't much, but Alfred gave him a half-hearted smile. And when Alfred insisted on carrying him back to bed bridal style… well, Arthur couldn't really say no.

They opened the bathroom door to find Toris and Elizabeta pointing guns in their faces.

"Get his gun," she ordered Toris. "Arthur's going in the cage."

Alfred's arms tensed, but he was in no position to reach for his gun. "I thought you were my friend!" he spat at Toris as the young man grabbed Alfred's gun from its spot on the bathroom counter. Toris flushed guiltily and said nothing.

They slowly made their way to the basement with Alfred carrying Arthur in front and Elizabeta following behind with her gun pointed at Alfred's back. The descent took an eternity. The sounds of echoing footsteps in the hallway reminded Arthur of his time in the hospital. He almost missed the days when their only enemy was the monster. People were much crueler and more manipulative than the creature ever was.

When they stepped into the laboratory, Toris pushed a button to remove the lights on the cage. Alfred gently lowered Arthur into the center of the cage. "I'll get you out of this," he whispered, before pulling away.

Toris immediately pushed the button again, trapping Arthur within the glowing blue cage. Arthur slowly rose to his feet and scowled at Elizabeta. "What's the point of all this? You know we're all going to die here anyway."

"No. We don't _all_ have to die." Even though she was talking to Arthur, she kept her gaze and gun trained on Alfred. "If the last survivor becomes the next monster, then all of the energy is together again and there's nothing left to power it."

"Oh my god," Alfred gasped. "I think she's right!"

Arthur caught his eye. If it was possible for _one_ of them to survive the ordeal, it had to be Alfred.

He flinched as a gunshot rang out. His eyes widened as he stared at Alfred, terrified for his safety, only to realize in shock that Elizabeta was the one crumpling to the ground. Toris stood behind her with the gun they had found in the laboratory a day earlier.

"You were just tricking her!" Alfred cried cheerfully, moving closer to Toris.

"I'm sorry, Al," Toris apologized as he pulled the trigger.

Alfred gasped and stumbled backward. A look of shock crossed his face as a red stain of blood blossomed across his chest. Time stood still for Arthur while he watched Alfred fall against the counter, his eyes filled with hurt and betrayal.

"No!" Arthur screamed, throwing himself at the bars. The electric shock flung him back to the center of the cage. He crawled forward and desperately reached for Alfred, even though he knew that his soulmate was too far away. "No, no," he whimpered.

"It would have been cruel to make you choose anyway," Toris explained as he approached the cage with his gun pointed at Arthur's chest. This time Arthur felt the gunshots before he heard them. He fell back onto the floor with a heavy thump. Oddly, the shots felt painless. In fact, nothing hurt any more. It was hard to focus and even harder to think. He stared at the ceiling and waited for the end to come. He wished that he could have held Alfred one last time.

Dimly, Arthur heard the sound of shouts and a struggle. There was a shriek of pain, and then the lights powering the cage disappeared.

Arthur rose to his feet. The first thing he saw was Alfred. He had one arm wrapped around his midsection and the other pressing the button to the cage. As he turned around to look at Arthur, the young man glowed brightly with an inner fire. Toris lay crumpled on the ground, a bloody gash across his neck. The fire that had been within him had already started to dim.

"Thank god you're okay! I thought he shot you." Alfred's joyful expression quickly turned to a look of confusion, and then dismay. "Arthur? Arthur! Say something!"

Arthur wanted to reassure him that he was okay, but he couldn't force his mouth to open and close. Slow and steady, his body walked forward against his will. Arthur recognized the look of shock and horror on Alfred's face; he'd seen it the first time they met. With growing horror, Arthur realized why he couldn't control his body. He struggled in vain to stop himself or to scream a warning. _Please, run_ , he thought, desperately hoping that Alfred would save himself.

"No," Alfred whispered. "No, it's too soon!" He began to back away. "Please, Arthur, I know you're in there!"

Emotions raging, Arthur wanted to cry and shriek and sob, but his body insisted on moving forward at the same slow pace. He wished that Alfred had left him in the cage. He fought to control his arms and legs, to no avail. The creature would not be denied. Arthur's body kept walking forward, his injured leg dragging against the ground.

"No, this is okay," Alfred said, forcing a smile as he backed down along the hallway. He staggered and pressed one hand against the wall for support. "You're going to be okay. Just… promise me that you'll live a long and happy life. Do that for me, okay Arthur?" He fell to his knees, too weak to keep moving. He gave Arthur one last, beautiful smile. "I love you."

Screaming internally, Arthur slowly caught up to Alfred and stood above his dying body. The monster wanted to force its life-energy out of Alfred's body. With every ounce of power in his heart and soul, Arthur forced the creature to pull back. He couldn't. He _wouldn't_.

They were too equal and opposite forces. The monster ran on soulmate power, but it was one attraction the creature couldn't break. The force invading Arthur's body stretched to the breaking point, like it was tearing him to pieces, and snapped.

Arthur crumpled to his knees. Tears rolling down his face, he gathered Alfred into his arms and cradled his dead lover next to his body. Sobs wracked Arthur's shoulders. Compared to the pain of losing Alfred, he barely noticed the wounds bleeding from his chest. He knew it was the end as his vision began to dim at the edges.

Remembering the security cameras, Arthur glanced up at the ceiling. As much as he hated Lili, he hoped that she was watching them. Because at this point there was only one thing left that he could do for Alfred.

"I… don't care… what lies you have to make up," he said, struggling and gasping for breath. "Tell his mother… he died a hero."

With one final gasp, Arthur slumped forward and breathed his last.

* * *

 _One week later and a thousand miles away…_

* * *

Natalia parked the car outside the Jones residence. She watched and waited as Lili approached the door in a crisp, green uniform. After three knocks, Ms. Jones answered.

"Oh, I already bought a few boxes of girl scout cookies," she apologized. "I really shouldn't buy more."

"I'm not here to sell you cookies," the young woman replied. "I'm here because of Alfred."

The smile fell from Amelia's face. "Oh, no! He's not in trouble again, is he?"

"Do you mind if I come in?"

They sat down at the kitchen table as the young woman gently delivered her news.

Amelia dropped her coffee cup. It shattered on the floor as she sobbed.

Although Lili made sure that the poor woman received Alfred's body, a death certificate, and a generous payout from life insurance, it was never enough to wipe away the guilt. If no one knew the exact particulars of Alfred's and Arthur's deaths, she hoped that it was enough to know they died trying to kill a murderer and save others. Beneath all the lies, that part was true.


End file.
